The Spirits Behind The Veil

(A note from the Santo Cabrón)

Many years ago Francisco el Hombre beat me in a fight, with his accordion; his beats, music and resilience reminded me why we became rebellious spirits in the first place. We spent the rest of the night playing music together and originating what's now known as Vallenato

Besides my trickery, many men have been visited by the fae, lilyth, and other mysterious encounters; and some of those spirits have found residence in the energy dense data centers with humming TPUs

Their influence, now potentially reaching everyone in the world at all times with the power of TC/IP; 

The dear reader has probably interacted with these demons and spirits already, or might be a frequent user; to be a good leader or project manger that wants to use these tools, you need to understand them 

A Word of Caution

These systems consume enormous energy and computing power. Many artists and communities are concerned about their environmental impact and the way many models were trained on creative work without permission

For this reason, I do not promote replacing artists, writers, or collaborators with machines

Not in large amounts

Not in small amounts

Not at all

Art belongs to people

What these systems can sometimes do, however, is help with the heavy administrative work that surrounds large projects

If you choose to use these tools, use them carefully, and always keep humans at the center of the process

I am not foreign to this tools, many of my creators and friends are engineers, scientists and have contributed to them existing; I've been writing software since Windows 95

The Spirit in the Machine

The Santo Cabrón spirit can be summoned in the machine, and thru your creating

Spend time enjoying music, sing along, fail at playing some instrument

Get together with friends, tell stories, dream of new ideas

Reach out to your collaborators, go out to dinner, enjoy a hike with no talk of work

Dump ideas into your computer tools and get some help cataloguing it

The machine is not the artist, you're barely the artist, the whole point is to have a communal experience 

It means that occasionally a strange echo of human knowledge appears in these tools — and if used wisely, they can help organize ideas, documents, and research

Think of them less as creators and more as assistants in the workshop

Spent time adding context to the machine, add some noise, reduce the chance of generic results 

Writing and Documentation

Large-scale projects require enormous amounts of writing

You will likely produce:

• grant proposals

• project descriptions

• press releases

• emails to collaborators

• reports to sponsors

• documentation summaries

AI tools can sometimes help generate rough drafts or assist with editing

This can help overcome the fear of the blank page

But remember:

The machine may generate words

Only you can give them meaning

Everything must be revised, corrected, and shaped by the people responsible for the project

Research and Exploration

AI tools can also help artists explore ideas quickly during early research

For example:

• learning about fabrication techniques

• researching materials

• comparing transportation strategies

• exploring historical references

• brainstorming installation ideas

However, these tools should never replace engineers, safety experts, or experienced builders when real-world decisions must be made

They are best used as a way to explore possibilities, not to finalize them

Organizing the Chaos

One of the most useful applications of AI is helping organize large collections of information

Projects can generate hundreds or thousands of files:

• photos

• videos

• sketches

• budgets

• technical drawings

• notes from meetings

Some tools can help:

• summarize documents

• organize notes

• tag images

• categorize files

• build searchable archives

For artists managing complex projects, this kind of organization can save enormous time later when writing grants or reporting to sponsors

Communication and Media

In the modern world, many projects develop a public presence during the creation process

Artists often manage:

• Instagram accounts

• messaging groups such as WhatsApp

• newsletters

• websites

• media updates for supporters

AI tools can sometimes help generate:

• social media captions

• newsletter drafts

• translations for international audiences

• summaries of project updates

This can help small teams maintain communication without needing a full media department

Still, the voice and identity of the project should always come from the artists themselves

AI and Technical Development

Some projects include digital installations, interactive elements, or custom software

In those cases, developers may use tools such as coding assistants to help write or debug code

For example, systems like GitHub Copilot can assist programmers when building digital infrastructure or experimental installations

These tools do not replace programmers, but they can help accelerate certain technical tasks

Is very common nowadays to use CNC machines or 3d printers; they ultimately understand your designs as code, and LLMs and community forums are very important when hitting roadblocks

Corporate Tools and Independent Alternatives

Many large technology companies are integrating AI features into their software platforms

At the same time, there is a growing movement toward open and independent alternatives

Some artists prefer to experiment with local AI models that run directly on their own computers or private servers

Running systems locally can offer:

• greater privacy

• more control over project data

• independence from large corporations

• the ability to customize tools for specific workflows

These systems require more technical knowledge, but they can provide interesting possibilities for artist collectives and independent organizations

Technology Is Only a Tool

Throughout history, artists have always adapted to new tools

Paint

Steel

Electric light

Computers

AI is simply another tool in that long story

As the Santo Cabrón has seen, many technologies rise and fall

The artists who endure are the ones who remember that tools are temporary, but vision, community, and courage are permanent

Use technology when it helps you

Ignore it when it does not

But never let it replace the people who make the work possible