A conversation with Mad Dog Jones on his history, artist led models, IP and more  + create with Hyp3r Phant0m contest winners.

You’ve got an incredible background leading up to who you are today. For those who don’t know Michah Dowbak, give us the back story about yourself?

I grew up around art. Writing, poetry, painting, photography and the main family business was stained glass windows. Music was also a big part of my life. I grew up playing violin and moved into turntablism as a teenager. Playing in bands, making show posters was a big part of my art path. Then in 2017 I dove full time into digital art and the Mad Dog Jones project. Since then i’ve worked with top musicians, brands and athletes as well as having a solo show in Tokyo.

Do you remember the moment that brought you into the world of onchain art?

I had an old friend send me a message about SuperRare in early 2020 and it piqued my interest. I started diving into learning about the space and release my first onchain piece in Nov. 2020.

With works like Replicator and your use of AI and blockchains, the idea of proliferation seems like it’s at the core of what you do. Can you talk to me about what draws you to this idea?

We are all iterations of our pasts. Life imitates art and we have gotten to a convergence of so much art that the idea of new or novel has changed. I don’t want to shy away from the fact that the concept of originality has skewed, I’d rather embrace it and encourage people to just be creative in a way that feels honest and not worry about who did what when first why, etc. Just be creative and find joy in art.

What do you like about AI today? What do you think sucks? What do you hope to see come from it in the future?

Big question. It’s here, can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. I find its a fun creative tool to amplify my own ideas. I think AI in the hands of accomplished artists can be used to make some really great art, and the baseline for how good art looks will rise broadly. The other side of that is less work for artists, which is frankly devastating. This is really to the point of why I’m working with TITLES, if artists are going to be turned into algorithms I at least want to have an ethical place to do it.

What does it mean for you to have your own custom AI model and how have you been thinking about it?

It’s been quite interesting, I LOVE using it. It’s a unique feeling building your own model. I feel connected to it in a way I don’t feel using other models. That being said its kinda wild to think that I created something that makes my own art so well.

What surprised you about seeing what people made with the model?

What intrigued me were the pieces that found a unique twist on my own ideas bringing in elements that are not concepts I would gravitate to but still felt at home in the world. There is also a love for prompt skill that you can tell some people have and others don’t. When i’m working out an idea I generally try 50-100 slightly unique prompts to dial in the idea. Then i will make hundreds of outputs looking for the diamonds in the rough. Then take those cool outputs and collage them into a new piece I truly love.

Working with TITLES to create it, what about this project did you find interesting?

I loved seeing the iterations of the models and how the TITLES team was able to integrate my feedback. Some feedback is easily integrated and other ideas can be nearly impossible to execute. The way these models work is truly fascinating and its really fun dialing them in.

We’ve talked offline about the idea of IP and internet as multiplier for works online, talk to me about how you think about tools like the blockchain work as tools for what you view as future of ownership and IP of work online?

I’m broadly anti-copyright. I think the era of IP should end. IP protects only mega-corps and never the small time artist. I see blockchain and the AI art movement as largely systems to break these relic laws and hopefully usher in an era of boundless creativity.

What’s next for mdj? Anything you’d like to plug?

HYP3R PHANT0M on Spotify?

Okay, so you had about 3,000 creations with your model. Let’s see your favorites…

1ST - ‘EVENT HORIZON’

2ND - ‘PHANTASILIENCE’

3RD - ‘ZEN MEDITATION’

4TH - ‘BOOMJ’

5TH - ‘DER’

6TH - ‘MY ROOM’

7TH - ‘DANGEROUS TROYS - THE YETI’

8TH - ‘FINK’

9TH - ‘TR4NSPORT’

10TH - ‘MONKEY’

Closing

Congratulations to the winners. Thank you to each and every one of you who decided to bring your imagination to the world of hyp3r phant0m. It was incredible to see what each of you created and we’re excited to see how the model will be used going forward. Over the coming days, we’ll be sending out the winnings to each of the winners above.

1st — 'I No Longer Exist' by Mad Dog Jones + $500 + Cosign

2nd — $1500 + Cosign

3rd — $500 + Cosign

4th through 10th — Will receive an onchain cosign from mdj.

WHAT IS TITLES?

At TITLES, we build creative tools powered by artist-owned AI models. We help artists maintain ownership of their likeness in AI by making it easy to train, distribute, and monetize their own custom models. Since launch, TITLES has been used to create over 35,000 creations using artist-trained models each attributing and sharing earnings back with their owners. If you’re an artist or creative community looking to create your own model with TITLES, reach out to us on Twitter or Farcaster.

Much love,

- TITLES