The technology company mindset

When Taxi Studio ran AI training in early 2025, Creative Director Stu Tallis saw first-hand how quickly the ground was shifting. “Even six months later, the training was out of date,” he said. “That’s the world we live in now.”

Despite the technological whirlwind, Stu remains grounded in a core principle.

Communication as craft

Stu is firm in his belief that curiosity, critical thought and craft will remain the foundations of creativity. “We’re solving problems for clients who sell things to people,” he says. “Critical and lateral thinking are what make that work.”

Regardless of the tools you use to bring your thinking to life, it starts with thinking.

Stu notes that at Taxi, AI is transforming creative roles. "All of us are becoming more like art directors," he observes.

“Our industry includes many people with dyslexia,” Stu says. “They’re very visual, which makes them brilliant image-makers.” With AI requiring verbal prompts and descriptions, learning to describe ideas precisely is becoming part of the craft.

“But what I find interesting is that if you get a grasp of how to use AI, you can use it to help you be better at that kind of communication as well. Before, you might brief a visualiser; now you're briefing AI.”

“Whether it's ChatGPT or Midjourney, or even a node-based system like Weavy, you've got to know what you want and then direct that system."

Comfort with change

“Being comfortable with being uncomfortable – that's the norm now,” Stu states. “Things are going to change a lot. The tools, the way we use them. It's about getting used to the idea that you're a student again.”

He draws parallels to the digital photography revolution, having to update kit and software every few months. “You just had to keep up. It’s the same thing now,” he says.

The talent reality check

Taxi's experiment posting for an ‘AI Creative’ role revealed the market's immaturity. “I've had one relevant candidate out of about 15,” Stu reports. “A high percentage didn't even list any of the platforms I mentioned in the job description.”

The standout candidate? Someone who explicitly mentioned using ComfyUI. “Just knowing the applications you're using, it lets me know that you know,” Stu notes. “There's a huge gap between the speed of AI tool development and AI tool mastery.”

For now, Taxi is investing in the team's natural enthusiasm. One designer has emerged as an internal champion, exploring Cavalry, Weavy and other new platforms and tools beyond the basics.

“He’s very progressive – into coding, and I’m lucky to have him as a bit of a sidekick,” Stu explains. He’s giving that designer dedicated time to build AI pipelines for Taxi’s projects. “If in two weeks he can build pipelines based on our workflows that we can copy and paste, that’s amazing. Maybe I don’t need to hire an AI creative – because we’ve developed one internally.”

If we can bring ideas to life faster – take it from a spark to something visual in an hour – that’s something we can sell.

The delivery dilemma

The biggest barrier isn't capability – it's time. “These businesses are built 

on us knowing what we can deliver,” Stu explains. “It's very difficult when your business is set up that way to start going 'we're going to try these new tools.'”

His solution? Using internal projects as proving grounds. “All the work we do with our case studies, our PR and marketing – we are the client.”

The path forward

After testing multiple platforms, Taxi chose Weavy over Flora for its professional depth. “Flora comes across as the Canva of node-based systems – very intuitive, accessible,” Stu explains. “Weavy is Flora on steroids with Photoshop attached.”

The creative potential is clear. “I could see very quickly how we could almost create a full campaign – from logo to packaging to studio shots to product-in-use visuals, and even extend it into motion and a TV spot. All of that, very quickly."

This isn't just about new tools. Stu sees agencies fundamentally differently now.

Any company that uses technology is a technology company. The technology is evolving, we need to evolve with it.

For Taxi Studio, that means protecting time for experimentation, using internal projects as proving grounds, and accepting that constant learning is the new normal. The goal isn't to chase every new platform, but to build the thinking and directorial skills that will endure regardless of which tools emerge next.

Technology will keep changing. 

The need for great thinking won’t.

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