Trust this Robot Origin Story: From a Private Server to The Lab
Image created with Luma AI
Back in 2018, I began hearing the murmurings of Generative AI. It felt like a signal cutting through the noise. Grimes had just released “We Appreciate Power,” and companies like Soul Machines were beginning to blur the lines between human and digital.
I wasn’t just passively noticing it anymore; I knew I needed to document it.
So, I decided to start a blog.
My brother, who works in tech, had his own server and let me host a custom WordPress site on it. For two years, I blogged daily. I wrote about everything: self-driving cars, Generative AI in Adobe’s beta program, and Ai-Da, the first robot to create art. I did this quietly, without announcing it professionally. It was my secret project, a dedicated space to research a wave I knew was coming.
Then, shortly after I started, my brother sent me a link that stopped me in my tracks: This Person is Does not Exits
NVIDIA had just released their GANs model, and I found myself staring at a face on the screen, a face generated entirely by code. As a photographer of 20+ years, I knew instantly: This is going to change everything. The foundation of the industry I worked in was about to shift.
In 2021, my brother retired that server, and I let the blog go (though the articles are safely backed up). But the timing was serendipitous because in the summer of 2022, Midjourney became available to the public.
I jumped right in... After years of writing about the technology, I finally had the chance to try it myself. Even in those early stages, I was blown away. I did my first AI client project in 2023 for UCLA Magazine, which went on to win an award, and I’ve been deep-diving into the artistic side of creation ever since.
Returning to the Roots
While I have loved the detour into pure artistic creation, I’ve realized that something is missing…
In 2026, I’ve decided to return to the origins of Trust This Robot. This site was always meant to be a place of exploration, a lab for exploration and discovery, researching, and writing about findings.
My goal for this year is an always-honest relaying of what I find. It might be good, it might be bad, but it will always hold true to my original intention: to learn, and to share what I’ve learned as I go.
To kick that off, I’ve officially launched The Lab.
I am often asked what software, models, or hardware I use to create my work. I decided to stop gatekeeping and put it all in one place. The Lab is a living list of the tools that power my art, from image generators to video upscalers.
You can check out the full stack here: https://www.trustthisrobot.com/thelab
Welcome back to the research.