Computational art, tools & research. Founder@studiomorphogen resident@stochasticlabs. Evolving floor-plans, corals, @artbreeder, https://xitter.cf/t.co/MaW2401roX
virtual reef / Berkeley
Joined November 2017
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New research project: Lluminate - an evolutionary algorithm that helps LLMs break free from generating predictable, similar outputs. Combining evolutionary principles with creative thinking strategies can illuminate the space of possibilities.
joelsimon.net/lluminate
New sculpture - LIFEFORM
It endlessly evolves artificial life adapted to its own glazed screen. it watches itself through a camera, so the screen becomes its living environment 📽️ 🧫
hand-sculpted ceramic with a mac mini running qwen 3.8 27b fully offline (6 tokens/s)
it's on view at TIAT in SF starting tonight, 151 powell st
It's been running for over a month and still discovering cool things on its own. Can browse its early works at lifeform-alpha.vercel.app
Joel Simon retweeted
So proud of our new open-endedness team @LilaSciences! We'll be sharing work with the world soon. In the meantime, you can learn more about us in this team profile Lila just posted. Our bet is that open-
endedness is mission-critical to real scientific discovery. More👇
A batch of "junk" diamond crystals turned out to be exactly what the researchers needed. That instinct -- don't throw out the weird result -- is the philosophy behind Lila's Open-Endedness team led by @kenneth0stanley lila.ai/news/whats-a-science…
Joel Simon retweeted
Introducing Fluoddity.com!
Hundreds of thousands of particles self organize into a stunning variety of structures. Explore a world of possibilities with mutation and artificial selection!
This is my personal tool for exploring Fluoddity, rebuilt for the web by Opus 5
Joel Simon retweeted
spent the evening at tiat arguing about whether an ai video can feel homemade. not good, homemade.
best line tonight: creativity starts with a vague intuition. you don’t know what you’re making until you’re partway in.
a prompt is a decision made up front. a craft is a process. – at San Francisco, CA
Doing a talk on this tomorrow at TIAT tomorrow !
Including talk and discussion with @feileacan_net
luma.com/sloptalk
New essay: Beyond Slop
Reflections on 6 years making creative AI tools and why the field feels stuck on content production rather than personal expression.
We're building molds with dials rather than new clay.
On embracing craft, process, and open-ended mediums (with some new demos!)
joelsimon.net/beyond-slop
Joel Simon retweeted
MC0001 Artist Focus: @_joelsimon
Joel Simon is a resident of Stochastic Labs and the founder of @Artbreeder and @StudioMorphogen.
Bridging computer science, biology, and art, his multidisciplinary practice explores emergent systems in nature and creativity.
May 29–31, 2026
Lighthaven, Berkeley
Conference program and ticketing: machine-consciousness.ai/
Stochastic Labs is running their summer residency again!
This year's theme is Liveness + Agency — subgroups on artificial life, realtime AI interfaces, theater + code, experimental narrative interfaces, and more.
Wonderful mix of artists / scientists / technical dreamers. Highly recommend.
Apply ↓
stochasticlabs.org/liveness-…
also deadline to apply is the 31!
"Residencies include work space, housing (for those traveling from outside the bay area), and shop access."
stochasticlabs.org/artificia…
Incredibly impressive what @asciidiego and @viccpoes have created with @krea_ai !
It was great working together back then, and it’s been exciting to see their vision and focus continue taking gen AI tools to the next level.
even though i’m super proud of the team having done a foundation model and the company having a research team
there’s no biggest achievement than helping your best friend achieve their dream!
bro, i’m so happy you made this happen!
i still remember you telling me about all your generative AI work from 2022 - and people always forget or don’t know you’ve been working on this since 2017!!!
Joel Simon retweeted
I've been playing with @_joelsimon 's CollageNet and added an img2img mode and also Party Mode to explore random settings. Code & screenshots below in 🧵
Joel Simon retweeted
appreciating this again
New research project: Lluminate - an evolutionary algorithm that helps LLMs break free from generating predictable, similar outputs. Combining evolutionary principles with creative thinking strategies can illuminate the space of possibilities.
joelsimon.net/lluminate
Had a lovely time on the Orthogonal Bet podcast with @arbesman. Talked Artbreeder, Beyond Slop, and the case for open-endedness over optimization.
pod.link/1796494444/episode/…
Joel Simon retweeted
Wonderful essay by @_joelsimon, legendary dev of Artbreeder, pioneer of all GenAI apps.
"What's needed are malleable, open-ended mediums that let you develop and express your own voice. Processes where you can improvise toward something you couldn't have imagined beforehand"
New essay: Beyond Slop
Reflections on 6 years making creative AI tools and why the field feels stuck on content production rather than personal expression.
We're building molds with dials rather than new clay.
On embracing craft, process, and open-ended mediums (with some new demos!)
joelsimon.net/beyond-slop