Matt Ford

The Tinkerer/Builder Dilemma: Notes on Creation in an Era of Abundance Reflecting on the fragile nature of digital creation after a major hardware failure. I explore how to navigate the current era of AI abundance through three guiding principles: Intention, Trust, and C...

My editing PC died this week. While waiting for the repair shop's verdict, I wrote about the tinkerer/builder dilemma and what actually lasts in an era of AI abundance.
I'm also using a new format where I share what I'm building, tinkering with, and keeping an eye on. #AI #Tinkerers #Builders

US: Second Unjustified Killing by Federal Agents in Minneapolis The fatal shooting of another Minneapolis resident by federal agents follows weeks of violent and abusive immigration enforcement actions throughout the city.

I've probably heard the audio from these videos a thousand times over the past few days as my wife painstakingly reviewed every frame as part of her research. So proud of the work done by @sophiamjones.bsky.social and the rest of the Human Rights Watch team. www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...

Leaving 2025 Behind: Six Hopes for AI and Creativity in 2026 It has been a wild year for AI and visual storytelling. When OpenAI’s Sora video model dropped in late 2024 we had the abstract “Gold Record” from Paul Trillo and a clever video from Shy Kids about a ...

My 2025 year-end post is up: six hopes for AI in 2026

After a brutal year, I'm choosing hope over fear, but these technologies need to grow up fast.

Agents that work. Universal content credentials. Fair creator compensation. Human performances. Less extraction, more agency.

#AI #Filmmaking #C2PA

Caga Tió's Night Before Christmas | Catalonia's Magical Holiday Tradition (The Poop Log) YouTube video by Origen Story

My American kids now celebrate Christmas Eve by beating a log with sticks until it poops candy. Welcome to Catalonia. 🎄💩
I made this AI-animated mashup of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and the Caga Tió poop log tradition.

Made with Nano Banana Pro and Kling 01.

#CagaTió #AIAnimation

We're All Creative Directors Now: 10 Takeaways from Freepik's Upscale Conf Last week, I attended the two-day Upscale Conf in Málaga, Spain, hosted by Freepik. Freepik has completely reinvented itself over the past year; with its clean interface and access to leading models,...

A wild 48 hours at Freepik's #UpscaleConf in Malaga last week.

Origen Story founder, @mattford.media, pored through his notes and compiled his main takeaways, tips and tricks.

Take a look and subscribe!

www.origenstory.com/were-all-cre...

#GenAI #CreativeTech #Freepik #upscaleconf

I'm proud to finally share: "Wouldn't it be cool?" A new series I'm producing through Origen Story.

Our first episode sets the stage for a fun and whimsical exploration of our possible climate futures, brought to life using the creative power of generative AI.

#GenAI #AIStorytelling #Climate

This was a huge learning experience. The commercial lip-sync tools were unusable for Catalan with motion. Had to build a custom ComfyUI workflow to get it done, but still hit artifact issues with the upscaling. Fun experiment, lots of takeaways in the post.

The Quiet Revolution in Digital Trust That's Reshaping Publishing and Creator Economics The rise in sophisticated generative AI media tools and the exponential volume of content they produce is driving a paradigm shift in our societal relationship with digital information. When AI deepfa...

Ever wonder how we'll distinguish real from AI-generated content in the future?

Our latest newsletter discusses digital provenance, the C2PA, content credentials and the work going into proving the origins and veracity of online content.

Plus actionable advice on how to get started with the C2PA!

Hollywood, Murrow, Hitchcock, and Why I’m Fully Embracing AI in Fact-Based Visual Storytelling I’m launching something new today: Origen Story, a creative studio aimed at navigating AI's impact on visual storytelling and developing ethical frameworks through hands-on, fact-based work.  To unde...

New project launch: I'm starting @origenstory.com —a creative studio exploring ethical #AI in visual #storytelling.

We’re close to a moment where most people, by default, won’t believe what they see. Origen Story’s first newsletter explores how to navigate this moment.

Hi Glen, this article is by @mford.bsky.social

Celebrating 25 Years of Impact Through Storytelling YouTube video by FilmAid

I recently wrote and produced this video to celebrate the 25th anniversary of FilmAid. Awesome animation work by Hodo&Marie and brilliantly guided by Massi at Internews. If you're not familiar with the work of FilmAid, definitely check them out. Everyone should have the chance to tell their story.

In 2017 I had the privilege to work with Amnesty International sharing some of the countless stories of the thousands of people disappeared by the Assad regime. Each one gutted me. May the coming days reward the hope of the countless separated loved ones. tensofthousands.amnesty.org/reported-mis...

A young girl wearing an FC Barcelona Alexia Patellas jersey rides on the shoulders of her father wearing an Aitana Bonmati jersey as they walk towards the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona.

Congrats to Aitana Bonmati on her second Ballon d'Or. Watching her leadership on and off the field turned this American girl dad into a true fútbol fan.

I am thrilled that the AP won the James Beard Foundation Award for Innovative Visual Storytelling for The Protein Problem. So much innovation from so many journalists in so many places on a truly complex and expansive topic. Bravo!
bsky.app/profile/matt...

In water-stressed Singapore, a search for new solutions to keep the taps flowing Water has long been a vulnerability for the tropical island nation of Singapore.

Similar stresses / innovation in Barcelona right now.
apnews.com/article/sing...

Beneath the Rubble Documenting Devastation and Loss in Mariupol

Congrats to my wife, Sophia Jones, and the HRW digital investigations lab, on the successful launch of this important investigation into Russia's devastation of Mariupol www.hrw.org/feature/russ...

Can we feed the world without starving the planet? | The Protein Problem Agriculture feeds 8 billion people every day, but also threatens wild animals and plants because of the resources needed to raise our food, especially meat. The AP reported from five continents to bet...

I'm proud to have worked as the interactive story editor on this Associated Press project looking at how climate change may influence the future of the food we love. Nearly 60 talented journalists across 16 locations and 10 countries poured their heart into it. projects.apnews.com/features/202...