tech conferences and past lives

a little dispatch from San Francisco!

Hi friends!

Not a big post this week, just a quick hello from San Francisco, where I’m attending the Upscale Conference, which bills itself as the intersection of creativity, tech, and AI.

It’s been a bit surreal being here, like all the past chapters of my life are colliding. From working at a marketing agency, my grad school days in the startup/entrepreneurship world, my love of emerging tech, sci-fi, and of course film… it all feels like it’s merging together in one strange, full circle moment.

Change your ethnicity with a click of a button!

I just came out of a talk by Chad Nelson from OpenAI called Creativity in the Age of AI.

Some of what he showed about the future of AI technology is honestly a little scary, but also feels inevitable. For example, soon you’ll be able to change the ethnicity of a model in an ad based on who’s watching. What does that mean for identity, representation, and what are the ethical implications for doing that?

At the same time, there’s a lot that’s genuinely exciting, especially for independent filmmakers and screenwriters like me. I think the takeaway is this: AI is a tool. You can have concerns (I definitely do!), but it’s coming whether we like it or not. And honestly, some of what it can do is incredible.

I’m taking notes and will share more soon!

Love,

Gisella x

Side note: SF kind of feels like a weird alternate universe to me. I’ve been trying to put it into words and the only thing I can come up with is that it’s cheerfully dystopian, like in a Disney-fied way. There are tech ads everywhere with cheesy slogans like SCALE THE TWIN PEAKS OF AI AND DATA! and WE HAVE A PROCLIVITY FOR CONNECTIVITY!

Has anyone else who has been here relate?! Also, Waymo cars are terrifying but I kind of want to try one.

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what i’m consuming 🍰

A little heart-shaped cake for my birthday. My mom gave it to me and told me to “eat your heart out!” ♥️

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who i am

Hi, I’m Gisella! I’m a repped screenwriter based in Seattle. I directed a feature-length documentary and most recently, my pilot Body Brokers was on the 2024 Blacklist Latine List. Follow me on my journey to get my first screenplay green lit 💚