GET INVOLVED
This work is open.
We need people like you.
Useful Arts runs on motivated contributors — researchers, writers, designers, strategists, educators, and creatives who want to help shape what comes next. We keep structure lightweight so the people doing the work can shape how it gets done.
Whatever your background, if the intersection of AI and creative work matters to you, there is a place for you here.
Shape the work directly
Join a focus group, test a tool, help facilitate research, write, or design. Real hands-on involvement in active initiatives.
CONTRIBUTE
Share your expertise
Lend your knowledge as a subject matter expert, industry voice, or thought partner. Lighter commitment, high impact.
ADVISE
Build the future together
Organizations, institutions, and companies whose work intersects with ours. Design, technology, policy, education.
PARTNER
Giving creators a voice in the future of AI policy
We run structured focus groups with creative communities and translate real experiences into insights for policymakers and standards bodies. We are looking for people to help design and facilitate sessions, synthesize qualitative input, and shape outputs into reports and briefs.
As a focus group contributor
Good fit if you are
A creative professional with something to say about AI — how it has affected your work, your career, and the industry you work in. We welcome every perspective, including the complicated ones. You do not need to have it figured out. You just need to be willing to share honestly and listen respectfully.
What the work looks like
Sessions are held in person or virtually, in small groups with other participants. Each session is facilitated by a member of the Useful Arts team, recorded for internal use only, and kept strictly private. We will ask for your opt-in before including you in any future or follow-up discussions. Any input you share will be anonymized in reports and findings derived from the research. At this time, participation is uncompensated, but your contribution directly shapes work that affects the entire creative community.
As a project volunteer
Building a disclosure standard for AI in creative work
The CAUD beta is live and we are actively refining it based on feedback. We are looking for creators who will test the label on real work, educators bringing it into the classroom, and technologists and designers interested in building future phases.
Podcast and community content
We are building a podcast and Substack that puts honest conversations about AI and creative work in front of the people who need them. We are looking for content contributors as well as help identifying and coordinating guests, producing content, and growing the community.
As a content contributor
Good fit if you are
A creative professional, educator, or technology company with something genuine to say about AI and creative work. We feature podcast guests, written contributors, and companies building tools that put creators first. All perspectives welcome. Submissions are reviewed editorially.
What the work looks like
You submit your interest and tell us a little about yourself or your product. If there is a good fit, we reach out to explore the format together — a podcast conversation, a Substack piece, or both. For individuals, we shape the discussion around your experience and perspective. For technology companies, we give you a dedicated, editorially reviewed platform to introduce your product to an audience of creators, educators, and industry professionals who are looking for solutions they can trust.
As a production volunteer
Good fit if you are
Someone with experience in podcast production, editorial content, social media, or community building. A strong network in the creative or AI space is a plus.
What the work looks like
Behind-the-scenes support that keeps What's Left of Us running and growing. This includes identifying and coordinating potential guests, supporting episode production and editing, repurposing podcast discussions into written or social content, and helping grow the listener and subscriber community across Substack and LinkedIn.