James Addison

Can you introduce the Grand Finto project?

Grand Finto is a fictional AI hotel on the banks of Lake Como, run by Alfonso Iazzoni, its seasoned general manager. James created it as a personal creative platform: a way to explore AI tools, push them, and see what kind of believable world could be built from them.

The project began around March 2023, when tools such as Midjourney, ChatGPT and Runway were starting to accelerate. For James, the important question was not whether AI could make an image, but whether those images could be shaped into a coherent idea with purpose, tone and narrative.

What was the use case for AI in the book?

Because James works extensively in hospitality, the hotel became a natural container for experimentation. A hotel from 1856 could hold rooms, gardens, ballrooms, characters and stories, allowing him to build a world where inconsistency from the tools could become part of the fiction.

The project expanded beyond the book into an Instagram presence where people could message Alfonso and attempt to book a stay. That gave the brand a voice and personality, turning the hotel into something closer to a fictional performance than a static visual exercise.

Has the project opened up what is possible for client work?

James sees the strongest commercial use for AI in the early concept and inspiration phase, where it can help explore possible directions before committing to production. For client work, he is more cautious about treating AI imagery as a final output.

There is growing appetite from clients, but also a need for education around commercial reality, legal risk and image provenance. Closed image libraries and protected datasets may help, but James still feels the tools need more development before they can be used without careful direction.

Will the narrative continue beyond the book?

Yes. James sees Grand Finto as an ongoing world rather than a finished object. He collects ideas, lines and observations that could feed back into the hotel, and he intends to return to it with a larger next step.

What about the human element in advanced AI tools?

James argues that human direction remains central. AI may become useful in process and production, but the real value sits with designers understanding the client, the audience, the problem and the feeling the work needs to create.

He describes creativity as a human exchange: lived experience, judgement, relationships and the ability to recognise which direction feels interesting. AI can open new routes, but people still decide which ones are worth following.

What happens when AI does not give you what you need?

For James, dead ends and frustration are still part of working with AI. That is why artists, illustrators and creative specialists remain important: craft carries value because someone has made and judged the work.

He is optimistic about the shifts still to come, but sees them as prompts for new exploration rather than a reason to remove human creative authorship.

Is AI the biggest change in the design industry?

James sees AI as a major wake-up moment for creative tools, but not every tool needs to be used. The more options designers have, the more important restraint becomes.

He compares it to stage lighting: even with endless technology available, sometimes the most powerful choice is still the simplest one. The value is in judgement: knowing what creates the most impact, rather than throwing every tool at the work.