Of all the industries bracing themselves for the AI revolution, the stakes couldn’t be higher than for the creative world.
For centuries, artists have spoken of inspiration as something received rather than manufactured. The ancient Greeks gave that force a name—the Muse. Nine goddesses who breathed life into poetry, music, and creative thought, invoked not merely as ritual, but as a genuine acknowledgment that the greatest creative acts felt like gifts from beyond. To be visited by a Muse was to transcend ordinary human limitation.
But Greek mythology also gave us darker archetypes—ones that, according to Stanford University Classics Scholar Dr. Adrienne Mayor, map with uncanny precision onto the age of artificial intelligence. In her landmark book Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology (Princeton University Press, 2018), Mayor argues that “our ability to imagine artificial intelligence goes back to the ancient times. Long before technological advances made self-moving devices possible, ideas about creating artificial life and robots were explored in ancient myths.”
Chief among them is Prometheus—not a god but a Titan, a powerful immortal who existed outside the Olympian order—who stole sacred fire from the gods and handed it to humanity, forever disrupting the balance of power between the divine and the mortal. Then there is Hephaestus, the god of the forge, who crafted artificial life itself: mechanical golden servants and the bronze giant Talos. Mayor argues these creations could be considered an ancient mythical version of AI. And Dolos, the spirit of deception, who secretly fashioned a perfect imitation of the goddess of Truth—a forgery so convincing it was indistinguishable from the original.
Artificial intelligence embodies all these archetypes at once.
Mayor’s warning from antiquity feels strikingly current. “Not one of those myths has a good ending once the artificial beings are sent to Earth,” she writes. “It’s almost as if the myths say that it’s great to have these artificial things used by the gods. But once they interact with humans, we get chaos and destruction.”
And like Pandora’s Box, once opened there is no closing it. The technology is unleashed, the data consumed, the consequences still unfolding. From literature, music, and film to architecture and design, the dueling forces between human talent and super tools of execution are heading toward a reckoning.
AGBU Magazine asked some of the most accomplished Armenians in their respective creative fields to share their perspective on the future of creativity, the implications for intellectual property rights, and the profound open questions that remain very much a work in progress—and in many cases, not yet fully conceived.
Meroujan Minassian
Meroujan Minassian is an architect, the founder of the innovative startups Archestr (AEC Tech) and Rior (PropTech), and the co-founder of Storaket Architectural Studio, with offices in Yerevan, Montreal, and Moscow. His projects span a wide range of construction types and design styles, including educational, residential, and community centers, as well as interior designs for educational institutions. He has led notable projects such as AGBU Armenia and AYB School, and has collaborated with Harvard University on research into future residential design.
His work has been published in local and international journals and online platforms.He also passes on his professional experience to the new generation, having taught at the National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia for 16 years.
“Artificial intelligence has undoubtedly made our work easier in many ways, enabling us to rethink how we design and plan.
Our architectural studio has developed two AI-powered products, created through years of experience and a clear understanding of the field’s key pain points.
The first product, Archestr, addresses a common challenge in architecture: misalignment between clients, architects, and manufacturers. Often, a project exceeds the client’s budget, leading to repeated revisions and lost time. Archestr solves this from the start. At the sketch stage, it uses large datasets and AI analysis to estimate building costs in a specific location, helping stakeholders align early. We have been developing and using Archestr since 2021.
The second product, Rior, is a consumer-focused interior design tool. Users upload a floor plan and a reference image, and the system analyzes the space, calculates dimensions, and suggests design options using products available in local stores. It creates a ready shopping list tailored to the user’s vision. We describe it as ‘a Tinder for interiors,’ as users can easily swap elements and experiment with different styles.
AI is not something that can be strictly defined—its future remains uncertain, and constant adaptation is essential. One thing is clear: it is there to support you, not to compete with you. If you limit yourself, then yes, AI can become your competitor. But if you stay open, flexible, and keep a broad vision for the future, it becomes a helpful tool that improves quality of life. It also speeds up work, and even if that speed can bring stress we will have to adapt to.”
One thing is clear: it is there to support you, not to compete with you. If you limit yourself, then yes, AI can become your competitor. But if you stay open, flexible, and keep a broad vision for the future, it becomes a helpful tool that improves quality of life.
Elie Akilian
Elie Akilian is an entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist based in Dallas, Texas. Born in Lebanon, he came to the United States on an AGBU scholarship and earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington. In 1989, he co-founded Inet Technologies with Sam Simonian, building it into a leading telecommunications firm that was recognized by Inc. Magazine, Ernst & Young, and Merrill Lynch as Entrepreneur of the Year in 1994, and sold in 2004.
He went on to found KingsIsle Enter-tainment in 2005, creator of the wildly popular Wizard101, one of the top online games of its decade for the preteen market. Following KingsIsle’s acquisition, Akilian founded WIMO Games, where he served as executive chairman. In October 2024, Akilian was appointed to the AGBU Council of Trustees, where he shares his knowledge and expertise in the innovation, business and technological spheres to help guide the organization through changing times.
“I think people misunderstand what AI actually does in the creative process. At least in gaming, it doesn’t take over—it still needs to be directed. There are three areas where it comes into play: the software, the storytelling, and the world design. On the software side, yes, you probably will go from twenty people down to two or three. That’s the level of magnitude. But AI cannot write the software from soup to nuts.
Architecture matters. By that I mean the way the whole system is designed so that all the different pieces connect and that it holds up when it grows. It’s like a foundation to a building. AI can help you put up the walls, but if the foundation isn’t right, the whole system can collapse. You still need high-level people to handle the complexity, especially if you’re interfacing with the outside world.
Same goes for storytelling. I haven’t done it myself, but I would think there’s still a lot of handholding needed. When you ask AI to write something, you can tell it doesn’t have a soul. It doesn’t have character. The creative process is still owned by the designer. What AI does is help build what the designer is imagining. Prompting is everything—if you give it a generic prompt, you get a generic answer.
Now, many people have this apocalyptic view about creative and software jobs. I don’t share that at all. My personal belief is that the United States is too dynamic for that. The people who get displaced will either start their own companies or find another way to use their talent. That’s what makes the U.S. economy what it is. The difference here versus, say, manufacturing, is that you’re talking about knowledge workers. A software engineer, a writer, a designer—those are transferable skills. You can apply them in other areas. I don’t subscribe to the doomsday view. We’ve seen this before.
As for addiction to gaming—it’s built in. The whole idea is to keep the player in the game, because the longer you stay, the more chances there are to sell you something. Think of it like a mall. The longer you’re there, the more likely you make an impulse buy. With AI, that becomes easier because now you have recommendation engines that track exactly who’s playing and what they’re doing. That said, my son told me once, ‘Dad, what you learned in the streets of Beirut, I’m learning in the game.’ Buying, selling, interacting, making decisions. I think that’s the wrong caricature to have about gaming. But the industry should be honest about how it’s designed.”
When you ask AI to write something, you can tell it doesn’t have a soul. It doesn’t have character. The creative process is still owned by the designer. What AI does is help build what the designer is imagining. Prompting is everything—if you give it a generic prompt, you get a generic answer.
Ruben Malayan
Ruben Malayan is an Armenian artist, calligrapher, and educator known for his significant contributions to Armenian calligraphy and visual arts. He has played a key role in revitalizing Armenian script, reimagining it as a contemporary art form while preserving its historical and cultural essence. With over 25 years of experience in graphic design, his work spans visual identity, typography, and calligraphy.
Malayan has taught drawing, graphic design, and calligraphy internationally, including in the United States, Canada, Italy, and Armenia. Since 2018, he has been an adjunct lecturer at the American University of Armenia, teaching visual communication and art-related courses. His works have been widely published and exhibited, and are included in collections such as the Smithsonian Museum.
“As a creative person, I fundamentally do not use AI. I do not perceive it as a tool for creating.
Of course, there are attempts to apply artificial intelligence in the fields of lettering and calligraphy, but this is quite problematic. AI cannot truly create—it only imitates, relying on material and content generated by humans. However, in calligraphy, imitation simply doesn’t work. Moreover, AI still cannot read handwriting, so it imitates blindly without understanding the content. As a result, the output is essentially gibberish—it fails to convey meaning, and the letters are distorted.
In my field AI’s work can be described as a complete failure, so it cannot be considered a competitor to me. I do not believe I will see the day when artificial intelligence can generate calligraphy of the same quality as that produced by the human hand. There are many factors that contribute to beautiful writing—the interaction with the material, the calligrapher’s tool, the ink, the paper, and so on. All of these elements complement one another, and AI does not engage with any of them.
AI cannot truly create—it only imitates, relying on material and content generated by humans.
Sergey Smbatyan
Sergey Smbatyan is the artistic director and principal conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra. He is an active advocate of classical music, known for his efforts to broaden audiences and promote contemporary classical repertoire internationally.
Under his leadership, the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra has performed at leading venues including the Konzerthaus Berlin, Barbican Centre, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Philharmonie Munich, Musik-verein Vienna, and Carnegie Hall in New York. Smbatyan has also appeared with major orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2015, he was awarded the Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France and in 2016 received the title of Honoured Artist of Armenia.
In 2019, during WCIT, the largest IT Congress for innovators and entrepreneurs, hosted in Armenia, Smbatyan conducted a groundbreaking performance where an international orchestra performed an AI real-time-composed musical piece. The project explored the dialogue between classical performance and emerging digital technologies.
“The 2019 WCIT project was a unique and fascinating experience for me and the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra. Music written by AI differs from works born of human thought, but as a conductor, it was important for me to understand how to give it a sense of live breathing. Even if notes are generated by an algorithm, their sound, dynamics, and expressiveness are shaped by humans on stage. We ‘trained’ the AI on hundreds of Armenian chants, the liturgies of Komitas and Ekmalian, based on which it began generating music containing elements of Armenian spiritual music tradition.
At a time when such AI experiments were just beginning, this was a major achievement. We brought it to the stage, performing for the first time in the world music generated by AI in real time—appearing directly on tablets in front of the orchestra musicians.
I do not see AI as a threat, but as a tool. Music is a language through which humans express emotions and experiences. AI cannot replace the creative individual, especially in classical music, but it can expand possibilities by offering new ideas, structures, or unexpected solutions. I see AI not as a competitor, but as an opportunity.
It can also be useful in orchestra work—rehearsal planning or score analysis. But an orchestra is not only a technical system; it is a living organism where the energy between musicians, the ability to listen to one another, and a shared sense of breathing are essential. This will likely remain exclusively human for a long time, perhaps forever.
Today, AI experiments in symphonic orchestral practice are more temporal and innovative tests rather than replacements for artistic processes. AI can assist, but it cannot replace the creative and human interaction on which orchestral performance is based.”
AI can assist, but it cannot replace the creative and human interaction on which orchestral performance is based.
Diana Sanders Khajadourian
Diana Sanders Khajadourian is general counsel and head of business affairs at Prescription Songs, a prominent music publishing company, and Amigo Records, its record label counterpart. She has been recognized by Billboard in its 2020 and 2022 “Women in Music Executives”
list and its 2021 and 2022 “Top Music Lawyers” lists. She was also honored by Variety in 2021 as one of “Hollywood’s New Leaders”—a list which highlights top entertainment executives and leaders under 40. She has also been selected a “Super Lawyer Rising Star” in Enter-tainment Law by Los Angeles Magazine and named by her peers to the Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” list several years in a row. Between 2019-2020, Sanders-Khajadourian served as the elected president of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Barristers/Young Attorneys Section with a membership of over 7,000+ attorneys. She is a graduate of Fordham University School of Law, cum laude, and Saint John’s University, summa cum laude. She is admitted to practice law in both California and New York.
“Few questions occupy more of clients’ thinking right now than what it means to create art in an age when machines can create too. At the center of that conversation is authorship—and who, or what, deserves to own it.
Authorship of music is protected through copyright law, which applies to original works created by a human. In the age of AI, we look at whether there is meaningful human creative input and control exercised in the creation of the work. The issue becomes complicated when the human is using AI tools but also making creative decisions in the process on the direction and sound of the music or the lyrics. So, the focus becomes their level of input: if they’re doing the heavy lifting, there’s a level of protection. But it’s difficult to quantify or monitor this with so many recordings distributed daily into the world. Music companies are launching AI detection tools, but only time will tell their effectiveness.
Authorship is one thing—but the question gets even thornier when AI isn’t just creating in a general sense, but actively mimicking the work of specific, established artists.
This can open up several issues, which depend on what is ‘copied’ by AI and how it is used. If the software is mimicking an artist’s voice, this gets into rights of publicity and trading on someone’s likeness for commercial gain without consent. States have different laws on this issue. If the imitation vocal is released and causes confusion in the public where they believe it is the actual artist, this gets into trademark issues and unfair competition, as it may mislead a consumer into thinking the artist is endorsing or creating this work. If the output is lifting/copying lyrics or melodies of music, this falls into infringement territory under the Copyright Act. The important thing to remember is that copyright laws protect specific expressions, not just ideas. This is why there are so many different songs out there that convey the same idea—but it is how it’s expressed that creates intellectual property right protection.
People will soon crave the feeling and sense of connection that real music gives them that AI music simply can’t.
Beyond the legal framework, I think it’s worth stepping back to consider what all of this means for the broader creative ecosystem—and ultimately, for the listeners and artists living inside it.
Music streaming platforms are being flooded with AI-generated recordings uploaded on a daily basis. While this dilutes the prevalence of real, human-created music and reduces visibility of new artists, it is becoming so saturated that I think pretty soon there will be nostalgia for the human voice and a live instrument. When the pendulum swings too far, it always historically comes back and levels out. I believe people will soon crave the feeling and sense of connection that real music gives to them that AI music simply can’t—at least not now.
The music industry is not the only arena being reshaped by AI, of course. My own profession—the law—is experiencing its own transformation, and I’ll admit the changes are not without their appeal.
Certain AI tools assist with legal research and data analysis now in a way that significantly diminishes the time that it would otherwise take a lawyer to complete. It’s a time and cost saving benefit clients can appreciate. Young associates at law firms used to devote hours to legal research to help narrow down issues. Now, that preliminary step can be accomplished in a matter of minutes. It’s like having a super-efficient junior associate on your team. That said, it’s not replacing lawyers. You still need to review the research and analysis, make judgement calls based on legal enforceability, and make strategy calls based on your business’ goals. All of that is rooted in the human experience.”
