The Future of Creative Work in an AI-Powered World with Mark Heaps

Mark Heaps went from cutting out photos by hand to shaping AI’s future at Groq—and trust us, he’s got receipts. In this no-filter conversation with Paul Estes, Heaps drops the ultimate truth bomb: AI won’t replace humans, but humans who master AI will replace those who don’t. After a nail-biting story involving his son, a lionfish sting, and an LLM that saved the day, you’ll understand why this creative-turned-tech-exec is convinced we’re just scratching the surface of AI’s potential.

 

From building basketball team apps on the fly to transforming how we experience NBA games, Heaps breaks down the real-world applications revolutionizing how we live and work. He’s seen creative professionals move from eye-rolling dismissal to existential dread to genuine curiosity—all in 18 months. Get ready for a masterclass in why critical thinking will never go out of style, how latency issues are the real innovation bottleneck, and why your kids should be more worried about developing unique opinions than memorizing facts.

 

Connect with Mark on X and Instagram @lifebypixels

 

You’ll Learn:

• How the “labor” parts of creative jobs are vanishing (and why that’s not terrible news)
• The reason creative professionals have shifted from fear to fascination with AI
• Why your R2-D2 and C-3PO moment is coming—and how to be Luke Skywalker in the scenario
• The critical skills to future-proof yourself when AI can do almost everything else
• How agentic workflows are creating thousand-bot debates that deliver better answers
• What parents should tell their kids about navigating an AI-dominated future

Subscribe to the Expert Intelligence podcast so you don’t miss future conversations with industry leaders at the forefront of technological transformation. Each episode brings you practical insights to navigate our rapidly evolving digital landscape.

 

Producer: David Grabowski
Theme Music: Aleksey Chistilin