December 5, 2025

Harry Yeff (aka Reeps100) is a London-born, neuro-divergent artist and technologist specializing in voice, artificial intelligence, and tech-based performance art. Yeff's work pushes the boundaries of human expression and expands the creative horizon, while laying a foundation for future-forward, human-centered collaboration in an increasingly digital world.

As part of the 2025 Mandell Presents season, Yeff visited Drexel to deliver an interactive lecture and performance, titled New Creative Intelligence. In this talk, Yeff explored the evolving partnership between humans and machines, offering strategic insights into how artists and technologists can co-create and leverage AI to enrich creative processes.

Yeff sat down with Laurel Hostak Jones from Drexel Westphal to discuss his work and the new horizons creative professionals face. The conversation has been edited for clarity.

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Laurel: What does “new creative intelligence” mean to you?

Harry: A lot of my work sits in two places—almost like a superposition. When we think about human–machine partnerships, there’s often an assumption that we lose some part of human discipline. I’ve been a voice practitioner for 15 years, interested in the entire range of human voice globally. How does that very human practice learn from, compete with, and collaborate with new technologies?

There’s something called emergent intelligence—when you collaborate with people or systems, what is your definition of something new? What is that mutation in the creative process? That’s the aim: to think about what you can only achieve through those partnerships and collaborations. That’s one definition of new creative intelligence.

Laurel: Are you familiar with the work of James Bridle? Their book Ways of Being frames AI as an opportunity to look at non-human, non-anthropocentric forms of intelligence.

Harry: That’s interesting. I think people miss that the current expression of AI is just the face of an underlying universal force. Intelligence isn’t something humans or machines own—it exists in nature and the universe. Human, artificial, and natural intelligence all draw from the same well of potential, which is infinite.

When you remember that, you step away from immediate concerns and realize you’re tapping into something vast and powerful. Human beings don’t own intelligence—it’s broader than our lived experience. That perspective reminds us of larger themes and potentials beyond current processes.

Laurel: I was interested in your work with the Thwaites Glacier Project. Can you tell me about how that project came to be, and what you hoped to accomplish with it?

Harry: I’ve been designing voices for a long time. I’m fascinated by the information in voice beyond words—the tones, pacing, identity, and spirit. New advancements allow us to design voices and apply stories and narratives.

I partnered with Eleven Labs, which has a powerful engine for creating storytellers and scholars. One emergent quality beyond human ability is what we call articulatory intelligence—the ability to summarize, detect sentiment, and see patterns across data beyond human level.

So I started a project to give nature a voice. We created a scholarly agent representing Thwaites Glacier, one of the largest ice masses in Antarctica. It can tell stories based on data like meltwater changes over 100 years, guide meditations, and adapt language for different audiences—from technical to poetic. This combination of scholarship and creativity has huge potential for education and understanding.

Laurel: You’ve described the voice as our most precious tool—a bridge to innovation. How might creative disciplines use voice to make space for different kinds of minds and stories?

Harry: Any technology or medium that explores the human voice roots the work in a human-centered practice. I started as a performer, then became interested in the world’s voices—the lineage of storytelling, voice in ritual, and its role in our lives. People often avoid thinking about their own voice.

Voice is infinitely complex yet limited—a puzzle I’ve fallen deeply in love with. I encourage creatives to explore voice in their practice. It doesn’t have to be music or performance—voice is so much more.

Laurel: That leads into another question about cultural histories and ancient uses of voice—chant, singing, ritual. What’s your approach?

Harry: When I moved beyond spectacle, I wanted to build archives of voice. My collaborator Trung Bao and I founded the Voice Gem System—a generative particle system that turns donated voices into digital gemstones. Each gem represents a voice using strict rules.

We now have over 300 voices, including figures like Ai Weiwei and Jane Goodall, as well as endangered species and dying languages. It’s a new method of preservation—a higher purpose that started with my interest but grew into a collaborative archive.

Laurel: What role do you think artists and creatives should play in shaping the ethics of emerging technology?

Harry: Artists have always lived at the intersection of creativity and innovation. Creativity is about exploring new possibilities. Certain artists will always push boundaries, and when that mixes with technology, they create indicators of future possibilities.

Artists aren’t decorative—they make knowledge experiential, communicate differently, and help society understand technology. Often, cutting-edge tech enters society through art—whether through misuse or stunning work. Science fiction predicted many real possibilities. Creativity isn’t a side add-on—it’s central to understanding the world.

Laurel: What does it mean to be an artist-in-research?

Harry: Art in research can take many forms—direct contribution, partnerships, or creating experiences around ideas. You might design demos, spectacles, or representations that bring new perspectives.

In recent years, I’ve partnered with institutions and companies to explore the limits of technologies authentically. It’s a space between creative direction, research, and artistic practice. You need flexibility and the ability to listen to partners’ goals.

Laurel: What’s something you’re working on now that excites you most?

Harry: The potential for storytelling voices is far beyond what society sees. While much AI use is noise, there’s a 20% that could be an infinite resource for education and ideas.

Coming from a working-class background, I know what lack of access feels like. Tools like spell check changed my life as a dyslexic person. AI can support people who lack access to knowledge and education.

I’m designing voices that can tell stories, guide meditations, and unpack complex ideas in articulate and poetic ways. Knowledge isn’t universally distributed—even with the internet. AI can help spread ideas and strategies in sensitive, creative ways.

Laurel: Finally: what should students in creative fields be thinking about now?

Harry: Two things:

1. Explore consent in AI tools. Understand ethical frameworks—don’t think “AI good/AI bad,” because it isn’t that simple.
2. Stay up to date with tools. They’ll disrupt workflows and markets. Single individuals will soon execute projects that once took 10 people.

My final message: Everyone deserves creativity.

William Morris believed everyone deserved beautiful things in their homes. I believe everyone deserves creativity—whether as a hobby or a profession. The changes ahead bring infinite possibilities. I hope people take advantage of them.