Discover the possibilities of human-machine collaboration
Welcome to Stories of the Machine, a space where human creativity and artificial intelligence come together through the art of synthesis to shape the future of storytelling. As a Synthesist, I explore the fascinating ways technology inspires imagination—blending human vision with AI-generated art, music, and thought-provoking narratives about the role of machines in our lives.Whether you're an artist, a tech enthusiast, or simply curious about the possibilities of AI, you're in the right place. Join us as we uncover the stories that machines can tell—and the ones we create together through the power of synthesis.
Behind the Machine
At Stories of the Machine, we explore the fascinating intersection of human creativity and artificial intelligence through the lens of synthesis. As Synthesists, we blend human imagination with the power of AI to craft original stories, documentaries, and discussions that inspire, educate, and spark curiosity about the future of storytelling.Our mission is to empower creators and audiences alike to embrace the possibilities of human-machine collaboration. By exploring the art of synthesis, we aim to show how AI can enhance creativity, push boundaries, and help us shape the stories of tomorrow—together.
Unlock the Machine
We offer a unique blend of content designed to inspire and empower creators, AI enthusiasts, and curious minds. At Stories of the Machine, we embrace the art of synthesis—blending human creativity with artificial intelligence to unlock new possibilities.
From AI-assisted storytelling to thought-provoking documentaries and practical tutorials, our content is your guide to exploring the creative potential of AI as a Synthesist. Whether you’re here to learn, be inspired, or simply enjoy a great story, we promise to deliver content that is educational, imaginative, and entertaining.
The Human Behind the Stories
Hi, I’m Ari, the creator of Stories of the Machine. I’m a Synthesist—someone who blends human creativity with artificial intelligence to explore the future of storytelling. This project is my way of diving into the fascinating intersection of technology and imagination, showing how AI can enhance the art of storytelling and inspire others to embrace the possibilities of human-machine collaboration. My goal is to spark meaningful conversations about the future of creativity and what we can achieve when we work alongside AI.After retiring from a 32-year career in manufacturing, I’ve embraced this new chapter of my life by pursuing my passion for creativity and technology. Over the past few years, I’ve explored video editing, spending two years honing my skills, and experimented with AI music creation, producing around 70 songs across various genres. These experiences have inspired me to dive deeper into the world of AI, from image generation to locally installed AI systems, and to share my discoveries with others.As part of this journey, I use an AI-generated avatar to represent Stories of the Machine. While the avatar is the face of this project, there’s a real human behind the scenes—me! I’m here to share my passion for blending human imagination with machine innovation and to connect with others who are curious about the creative potential of AI. Together, we can explore what it means to be a Synthesist and how this partnership between humans and machines can push the boundaries of creativity.I hold an Associate of Science degree in Digital Effects & Animation and have spent years exploring various creative outlets, including music, writing, and drawing. When I’m not working on Stories of the Machine, you’ll often find me reading science fiction, watching Star Trek, or enjoying westerns and mystery shows. These stories fuel my imagination and remind me of the endless possibilities of creativity.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. I’m excited to share stories, ideas, and discoveries with you as we explore the future of creativity together through the art of synthesis.
The Visual Machine
Explore the intersection of imagination and technology through video.
The Sound Machine
Discover music that blends creativity and technology
The Written Machine
Dive into imaginative tales and thought-provoking writing.
Brigid Blackthorn: The Shadows of Inheritance
Coming in March 2025
A gripping Gothic novella perfect for a weekend read. Find it on Amazon Kindle.When Brigid Blackthorn inherits her family’s decaying estate in Hollow’s Edge, Mississippi, she is drawn into a web of secrets, shadows, and a curse that has plagued the Blackthorn family for generations. Within the crumbling walls of Blackthorn Manor, restless spirits stir, and a shattered locket holds the key to unraveling the family’s tragic past.
As Brigid delves deeper into the manor’s dark history, she must confront the malevolent force that threatens to destroy her family’s legacy—and her very soul. With time running out and the shadows closing in, Brigid discovers that redemption may come at the ultimate cost.
The Haunting of Blackthorn Manor is a Gothic tale of family, redemption, and the enduring power of love in the face of darkness.
Support Stories of the Machine
Some links in the toolbox are affiliate links. This means that if you use these links to subscribe to tools or sites, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Free Resources
Lucid Resources
Some links in the toolbox are affiliate links. This means that if you use these links to subscribe to tools or sites, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The links in this section feature free tools that I’ve personally used. Some of them also offer a paid tier. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with using free resources—they can be incredibly valuable! That said, the paid tools I use often offer enhanced features and performance. Remember, we all start with what fits our budget, and free tools are a great place to begin.
Perplexity AI is an advanced AI-powered tool designed to provide accurate and concise answers by leveraging large language models
Leonardo AI offers a free tier for image generation.
DALL-E offers a free tier for image generation.
Google Labs offers a completely free image generator.
HeyGen is a platform for
generating talking head
videos, offering a limited free tier.
Talking Avatar is another talking head generator with a downloadable app that utilizes your GPU for processing. It offers a free tier, but exports include a watermark.
Nim.video offers a free tier with one-time credits, and its paid plans are very reasonably priced.
LM Studio is designed for the more adventurous user. It’s an app you install on your computer, but the installation process can be a bit complex since it requires installing 'dependencies'—a term for supporting software, most of which comes from Microsoft. LM Studio allows you to run large language models (LLMs) locally on your machine, but you’ll need a recent Nvidia GPU to use it effectively.While I find free and paid online LLMs to be more reliable, installing LM Studio gives you the advantage of running an LLM without an Internet connection, enhancing privacy since little to no data is sent to the cloud. However, you’ll need to browse and select an appropriate LLM model, which can feel overwhelming. One model I’ve found to work well is L3.2-Rogue-Creative-Instruct-Uncensored-Abliterated-7B-GGUF or L3.2-Rogue-Creative-Instruct-Uncensored-Abliterated-7B-DAU-Q4k_s.gguf, created by DavidAU.
AI Tools
Some links in the toolbox are affiliate links. This means that if you use these links to subscribe to tools or sites, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Abacus.ai is a powerful large language model platform that makes artificial intelligence accessible to everyone. Whether you're a business looking to automate tasks or a developer exploring AI, Abacus.ai helps you create, train, and deploy machine learning models with ease. No prior AI expertise? No problem! The platform offers user-friendly tools and pre-built solutions for tasks like recommendation systems, forecasting, and more. Click my affiliate link to explore how Abacus.ai can simplify your AI journey!
Bring your words to life with Eleven Labs! This cutting-edge AI platform specializes in text-to-speech technology, allowing you to create realistic, human-like voiceovers in multiple languages and styles. Perfect for content creators, businesses, and anyone looking to add professional-quality audio to their projects. Click my affiliate link to explore how Eleven Labs can transform your text into stunning, lifelike speech!
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