1. When the sous-chef is a language model.

Grant Achatz is creating a nine-course menu for his Chicago restaurant Next with dishes from nine different chefs, including a 33-year-old woman named Jill who supposedly trained under culinary legends like Ferran Adrià and Auguste Escoffier. Here is the plot twist: Jill is completely fictional, along with her eight fellow "chefs." Achatz fed ChatGPT these imaginary culinary prodigies, complete with fake backstories and training credentials, to see what an AI brain might cook up.

While most chefs have been hesitant to let robots into their creative kitchens, a growing number are discovering that AI makes a surprisingly decent brainstorming buddy. They're using it for everything from suggesting wild spice combinations to generating visual mockups of dishes, and even getting patient explanations of sausage-making chemistry. Sure, the technology can't actually flip an omelet or tell if the sauce needs more salt, but for late-night creative sessions when your human colleagues have clocked out, AI apparently makes surprisingly good company.

2. Vintage VFX, modern magic.

Creating twin Michael B. Jordans for Sinners took a mix of old-school movie magic and high-tech trickery that would make Georges Méliès proud. Half the scenes used classic split-screen techniques (locked camera, two performances, stitched together) while the rest relied on "The Halo Rig" a wearable setup with a dozen cameras capturing Jordan’s head to digitally graft onto a stunt double's body, and the help of machine learning.

I watched the film last week, expecting a campy vampire flick (blame the trailer - watch this epic scene instead), but was surprised to find a layered story with a killer soundtrack. The VFX didn’t scream for attention, it simply supported the story, letting performance lead the spectacle. It’s a good reminder: the best creative work doesn’t always shout. Sometimes, it just slips in quietly and does its job beautifully.

3. Mahadevan finds harmony with AI.

Indian music legend Shankar Mahadevan spent 30 hours in his Mumbai studio experimenting with Google's Music AI Sandbox, creating a new song called "Rubaroo" (meaning "face-to-face" in Hindi) that blends traditional Indian instruments with AI-generated elements. Using simple text prompts, Mahadevan generated samples featuring instruments like dholak and tabla, then looped them in his digital workstation while layering vocal melodies on top.

Rather than replacing human creativity, Mahadevan found the AI tools acted as creative triggers - digital sparks that pushed his brain in new directions while staying true to India's rich musical traditions spanning Carnatic, Hindustani, and Bollywood genres. It's a possible glimpse into a future where AI doesn't steal the creative spotlight but helps amplify the artistic vision.