Rourke’s mission in the face of creative AI

Rourke advocates for educational work at GenHQ. The generative tool must serve the story and the creative professions rather than give in to urgency-driven narratives.

Between raw enthusiasm and dull fear, Rourke chose a third path. Neither forced conversion nor alarmist speech, but patient work of education, transmission, and fieldwork. From content creation to GenHQ, he advocates a simple and demanding vision: AI is only valuable if it serves stories, professions, and human trajectories.

You come from design, from Photoshop. What drove you to AI? And what was the trigger for wanting to create this “bridge” between the enthusiasts and the anxious?

At the beginning, it was an emotional reaction. In the design community, people are truly passionate, very opinionated – in a good way. And when I started teaching around AI, I saw something I had never seen before: a huge split. Some people were really excited, others were genuinely scared. I thought, “This is interesting... and I want to build a bridge between these two groups.” Today, my mission relies on two things. First: helping people tell better stories with AI. And second: trying to create as many new jobs as possible in the creative market. Because a part of me is honestly afraid that people will lose their jobs in this new world. So I put a lot of pressure on myself to help as much as I can. But I don’t force anyone. Those who want to stay in the traditional workflow will always be able to. AI is an option – not an obligation.

You meet creative people all over the world. How do they react to AI? And do you see any differences between France, the United States, or other countries?

Yes, there are differences, and they’re cultural. In France for example, I’m often told that freelancers are very afraid. In the United States, it’s different. And online, we see that what people enjoy most is often comedic AI content. They say, “AI has no soul,” and then they laugh at a generated video. For me, the decisive moment was when I saw an AI short film that made me cry. I thought, “Okay... it’s not how it’s made that matters. It’s the story.” And if an AI work can make you feel something, then yes, it’s art. What’s funny too is that the people most excited about AI are not always the youngest. A lot of students are stressed: “My future job is going to disappear.” Meanwhile, more experienced creatives see AI as a new playground. They say, “I can create differently. I can spend more time on what I love.” It gives them energy again.

You often say that your role is not to convince, but to educate. How do you manage this intense pace — between four and six hours of shooting a day, a massive monthly production — while keeping a gentle approach for those who doubt?

I don’t think I have more authority than anyone else to tell someone to love AI. That’s not my role. My role is education: making sure people have a reliable place to go when they’re ready. It’s a personal, internal decision. I film between four and six hours a day. We create 97 pieces of content per month: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, X, LinkedIn... plus our educational platform. We’re five in the team: editors, my best friend, and my wife who runs the entire operation with my management. At one point, I was getting over a hundred requests per day – it was impossible to handle alone. I needed a team I could trust. We joke that I’m “half AI.” But without the team, nothing is possible.

You describe GenHQ as your “baby.” What role do you want it to play in this transformation of the sector?

GenHQ is really what I’m most proud of. I genuinely believe we can become the largest creative AI education platform in the world. We’re growing by around 150 members per week. It’s a paid community, 97 dollars a month. Inside, we cover all the tools, all the updates, but also how to find work in AI, how to set your rates, how to build a personal brand, how to adapt to this new landscape. And we bring in specialists at the top of their field to share their workflows. For me, we need to train creatives before the wave overtakes them. That’s why GenHQ exists.

You're mostly known for your educational content, but you still do a little client work. Why is this important to you?

I wish I could do more, but I don’t have the time. Our mission is education, and that’s 90% of my schedule. But I have to keep some client work – maybe one project a month, or every two months – because I wouldn’t be able to teach negotiations, pricing, or how to handle an AI request if I didn’t experience it myself. I need to stay a practitioner to be credible. It’s as simple as that.