"...what comes next won't
really be AI filmmaking.
It will be AI experiences.
And that's a much bigger
conversation."
An Interview with Jieyi Lee, Art Director at Luma AI
The anxiety around AI replacing performers assumes the end goal is the same as traditional filmmaking — a polished output for a passive audience. What I actually see coming is something much more exciting: real-time, interactive, living experiences
As AI continues to reshape the landscape of filmmaking, few creatives sit closer to the intersection of imagination, technology, and storytelling than Jieyi Lee. As Art Director at Luma AI, she collaborates with filmmakers, developers, and artists to explore what becomes possible when generative tools move beyond experimentation into real creative workflows.
In this Women in AI Spotlight, we spoke with Jieyi about art direction in the age of AI, mentorship, cloud collaboration, and how platforms like Luma AI are changing not just filmmaking—but the very nature of creative experiences. 
AI and Expanding Creative Imagination
Q: As an Art Director at the intersection of storytelling and generative AI, how has access to Luma tools reshaped the way you envision scenes, characters, or worlds—ideas you might not have imagined using traditional pipelines?
Jieyi Lee:
“What’s reshaped my creative process most isn’t a specific tool — it’s the mindset at Luma around exploration and play. In creative research, there’s no right or wrong. You just have to dive in. And every time I set out to make something I already have in mind, I end up discovering an entirely new direction I never would have anticipated. That’s the magic of working at this frontier — AI gives you permission to think freely, to be brave, and to follow ideas wherever they lead without the constraints of traditional pipelines holding you back.”
Art Direction in an AI-Driven Workflow
Q: With your current projects when AI presents multiple unexpected possibilities, how do you, as an Art Director, decide which ideas best honor both the narrative and emotional intent of a project? Can you give us an example?
Jieyi Lee:
“I’m not chasing random possibilities — I’m chasing intention. When unexpected outputs come in, the question I’m always asking is: does this align with the vision I already have? I want to be in control as much as possible, and that’s actually the direction we’re building toward at Luma — tools that give artists more precision and authorship, not less. Happy accidents are great when they happen, but they still have to serve the narrative and emotional intent I came in with. If it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t matter how interesting it is. The work has to be coherent, and that coherence starts with me as the director.”
AI Character Performance & The Future of Storytelling
Q: AI-driven character performance is one of the most sensitive areas of generative filmmaking. From your testing and experimentation, where do you see meaningful progress—and where must we remain cautious?
Jieyi Lee:
“Honestly, I think the whole framing of this conversation is off. People get frustrated that AI character performance isn’t as good as a human — and my response is: then use a human. Use real actors, real filmmakers, the people who have dedicated their lives to their craft. AI isn’t here to replace that.
But more importantly, I think we’re asking the wrong question entirely. The anxiety around AI replacing performers assumes the end goal is the same as traditional filmmaking — a polished output for a passive audience. What I actually see coming is something much more exciting: real-time, interactive, living experiences. Single-player and multiplayer environments where people aren’t just watching a story, they’re inside it. The future isn’t AI as a performer trying to mimic a human — it’s AI as the engine of a whole new kind of experience that we haven’t even fully imagined yet.”
Mentorship, Community & The Chroma Awards
Q: Through your work with the Chroma Awards, how have you seen mentorship transform the trajectory of emerging creatives, particularly women in AI and VFX?
Jieyi Lee:
“This is a question I have complicated feelings about. Through my work with the Chroma Awards I’ve been part of a lot of conversations and events around supporting women in VFX and filmmaking — and genuinely, I sometimes feel a little helpless, because when I talk to women in this industry, the only thing I see holding them back is themselves. Not the industry, not gatekeepers — themselves.
I don’t actually experience a meaningful difference between talking to a man or a woman in filmmaking. And I wrestle with the framing of ‘how do we help women in AI?’ — because I don’t think they need help. They need to make stuff and post it. The internet has leveled so much of that playing field. No one knows who’s behind the work. Some of the most popular creators online are operating anonymously, across genders — which to me suggests that getting seen has less to do with gender than we think, and everything to do with just showing up and putting the work out there.
The real hope is simple: that everyone gets to work with who they want to work with, not who they need to work with. That’s what a healthy creative industry looks like.”
Cloud AI & The Future of Filmmaking
Q: Working at Luma AI and collaborating closely with creative teams, how do you see AI-powered cloud platforms like Luma and cloud-based creative studios reshaping the future of filmmaking?
Jieyi Lee:
“In traditional media, if you want to create something at scale, you have no choice — you have to fill every position on a large team, regardless of whether every role excites you. What’s changing now is that you get to choose. You can focus on the inputs you’re genuinely passionate about and let an army of creative support fill in the rest. You can bring in collaborators selectively, on your own terms. It makes tackling ambitious projects far more dynamic, and puts real control back in the hands of the creator.
It also dismantles the gatekeeper model. Historically, the people who could make big things were the people who could afford to hire big teams — and that created a layer of oversight that decided what got made and what didn’t. Now a few friends with vision can produce something on the scale of a major production. That’s a fundamental shift in who gets to tell stories.
But honestly — I think even that framing is still too small. Because what comes next won’t really be AI filmmaking. It will be AI experiences. And that’s a much bigger conversation.“
Advice for the Next Generation
Q: What advice would you give to a young woman interested in AI-powered filmmaking?
Jieyi Lee:
“Honestly, my advice isn’t just for young women — it’s for anyone. I’m a human first, and I think there’s way too much emphasis on segmenting advice by gender. The space is wide open for everyone.
So here it is: just create. Social media is how people get seen and found in the AI space right now. You don’t need permission, you don’t need a big team, you don’t need a studio behind you. You just need to make things and put them out there. Be a creator. That’s it.”
Looking Ahead
Jieyi Lee’s perspective reflects a broader shift happening across the industry. Through her work at Luma AI, she’s helping redefine what art direction looks like when imagination is amplified by generative technology, when teams become fluid, and when creators gain unprecedented control.
Her message is both simple and powerful: the future isn’t just AI-assisted filmmaking — it’s entirely new forms of creative experience. And the door to that future is open to anyone willing to step in and start creating.
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