AI in the Studio: Faster Process, Same Standards
How we use AI across research, exploration and production at M1 Studios, and the parts of the job we'll never hand over.
DATE
Sep 21, 2026
CATEGORY
AI & Process
Where AI earns its place
AI is part of how we work at M1 Studios, and we'd rather be clear about it than pretend otherwise. It earns its place early in a project: gathering research, exploring visual territories quickly, and testing rough ideas before we commit time to crafting them. It's also useful at the other end, in production, where a finished design needs to become dozens of formats and variations. Used well, it takes the repetitive weight off so more time goes into the parts that matter.
Where it doesn't
Strategy, taste and judgement stay firmly human. AI can generate a thousand options, but it can't tell you which one is right for your customers, your market or the conversation you're trying to start. The final craft stays human too: the type, the spacing, the timing of a motion sequence, the decision to leave something out. Those are the details people feel, and they come from experience rather than a prompt.
Speed is only useful if the standard holds
Moving faster only matters if the work is still good. The risk with AI is that it makes average work cheap and plentiful, and the internet is already full of it. Our rule is that AI can speed up the route, never lower the finish line. Everything that leaves the studio is reviewed, refined and held to the same standard it would have been without it.
%22%3E%3Cpolygon%20points%3D%22167.2%2031.4%20165.3%2031.1%20119.7%2098.9%2073.7%2031.1%2072%2031.4%2072%2031.1%2047.8%2031.1%2047.8%20177.5%2072%20177.5%2072%2070.2%20119.5%20139.8%20167.2%2069.6%20167.2%20177.5%20191.4%20177.5%20191.4%2031.1%20167.2%2031.1%20167.2%2031.4%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M281.1%2C31.1h-21.1l-.2-.2c-3.1%2C3.5-6.7%2C6.9-10.8%2C10.2-4.1%2C3.3-8.2%2C6-12.2%2C8.1-4%2C2-7.7%2C3-10.9%2C2.8v22c6%2C.3%2C11.8-.8%2C17.4-3.1%2C4.9-2.1%2C9.7-4.9%2C14.4-8.5v93.8h-31.8v21.3h86.2v-21.3h-31.3l.4-125.1Z%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M446.6%2C94.9l-18-4.4c-6.1-1.5-11-3.8-14.5-6.8-3.6-3-5.3-7.2-5.3-12.7s2.3-11.9%2C6.8-15.7c4.5-3.8%2C10.8-5.6%2C18.7-5.6s14.1%2C1.8%2C19.2%2C5.4c5.2%2C3.6%2C8.8%2C8.2%2C10.9%2C13.8l23.4-7.5c-2.2-6.3-5.6-11.9-10.2-16.8-4.6-4.9-10.4-8.9-17.5-11.7-7-2.9-15.2-4.3-24.6-4.3-16.6%2C0-29.3%2C3.8-38.3%2C11.4-8.9%2C7.6-13.4%2C18.2-13.4%2C31.9s1.6%2C13.5%2C4.7%2C18.8c3.1%2C5.3%2C7.5%2C9.7%2C13%2C13.2%2C5.5%2C3.5%2C11.7%2C6.1%2C18.5%2C7.9l18%2C4.6c7.5%2C2%2C13.5%2C4.7%2C18%2C8.3%2C4.5%2C3.6%2C6.7%2C8.1%2C6.7%2C13.7s-2.6%2C11.1-7.9%2C14.8c-5.3%2C3.8-12.5%2C5.6-21.5%2C5.6-7.8-.1-14.4-2.2-19.7-6.1-5.3-3.9-8.9-8.4-10.7-13.6l-23.8%2C7.3c1.3%2C4.3%2C3.5%2C8.5%2C6.6%2C12.4%2C3.1%2C4%2C7.1%2C7.6%2C11.9%2C10.8%2C4.8%2C3.2%2C10.4%2C5.7%2C16.7%2C7.5%2C6.3%2C1.8%2C13.3%2C2.7%2C21%2C2.7%2C11.3%2C0%2C20.9-1.8%2C28.8-5.4%2C7.9-3.6%2C13.8-8.6%2C17.9-15.1%2C4-6.4%2C6.1-13.8%2C6.1-22.2s-3.6-18.1-10.9-25.9c-7.3-7.8-17.4-13.3-30.5-16.5Z%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M555.3%2C157.6c-1.7.6-3.2.8-4.6.8-4.5%2C0-7.8-1.3-10.1-3.8s-3.5-6.2-3.5-11.1v-50.6h28.2v-20.1h-28.2v-32.6h-23.2v32.6h-17.4v20.1h17.4v55c0%2C10.3%2C2.9%2C18.2%2C8.7%2C23.7%2C5.8%2C5.5%2C14.2%2C8.3%2C25.2%2C8.3s7.2-.7%2C10.9-2c3.6-1.3%2C7.2-3.2%2C10.9-5.8l-8.6-17.8c-2.1%2C1.5-4%2C2.6-5.6%2C3.1Z%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M653%2C127.5c0%2C9.9-2.2%2C17.5-6.5%2C22.8-4.3%2C5.3-10.5%2C7.9-18.4%2C7.7-4.5%2C0-8.4-.9-11.8-2.7-3.4-1.8-6.1-5-8.1-9.6-2-4.6-2.9-11-2.9-19.2v-53.5h-23.4v59.8c0%2C15.9%2C3.5%2C27.7%2C10.5%2C35.5%2C7%2C7.8%2C16.8%2C11.7%2C29.5%2C11.7s15.3-2.1%2C21.2-6.2c4-2.8%2C7.4-6.5%2C10.2-11l1%2C14.7h22v-104.6h-23.2v54.6Z%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M772.4%2C88.2c-2.8-4.4-6.3-8.1-10.4-11-6.3-4.5-13.9-6.8-22.7-6.8s-17.7%2C2.3-24.8%2C6.8c-7%2C4.5-12.5%2C10.9-16.5%2C19-4%2C8.2-6%2C17.8-6%2C29s2%2C20.6%2C6%2C28.9c4%2C8.2%2C9.5%2C14.6%2C16.5%2C19.1%2C7%2C4.5%2C15.3%2C6.8%2C24.8%2C6.8s16.3-2.3%2C22.7-6.8c4.2-3%2C7.7-6.8%2C10.6-11.3l.8%2C15.6h22.2V31.1h-23.2v57.1ZM759.3%2C154.4c-4.1%2C2.9-8.8%2C4.3-14.1%2C4.3s-10.6-1.4-15-4.3c-4.4-2.9-7.8-6.8-10.2-11.8-2.4-5-3.7-10.8-3.9-17.4.1-6.6%2C1.4-12.3%2C3.9-17.4%2C2.4-5%2C5.8-8.9%2C10.1-11.7%2C4.3-2.8%2C9.3-4.2%2C14.8-4.2s10.2%2C1.4%2C14.3%2C4.2c4.1%2C2.8%2C7.3%2C6.7%2C9.6%2C11.7%2C2.3%2C5%2C3.5%2C10.8%2C3.5%2C17.4s-1.1%2C12.3-3.5%2C17.4c-2.3%2C5-5.5%2C9-9.6%2C11.8Z%22%2F%3E%3Cpolygon%20points%3D%22818.8%20177.5%20842%20177.5%20842.2%2072.9%20819%2072.9%20818.8%20177.5%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M830.5%2C25.6c-3.8%2C0-7%2C1.3-9.7%2C4-2.7%2C2.6-4.1%2C5.9-4.1%2C9.6s1.4%2C7%2C4.1%2C9.7c2.7%2C2.7%2C6%2C4.1%2C9.7%2C4.1s7-1.4%2C9.7-4.1c2.7-2.7%2C4.1-6%2C4.1-9.7s-1.4-7-4.1-9.6c-2.7-2.6-6-4-9.7-4Z%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M940.9%2C77.4c-8.1-4.7-17.4-7-27.8-7s-19.7%2C2.3-27.8%2C7c-8.1%2C4.7-14.4%2C11.1-18.9%2C19.3-4.5%2C8.2-6.8%2C17.7-6.8%2C28.4s2.3%2C20.2%2C6.9%2C28.4c4.6%2C8.2%2C11%2C14.7%2C19.1%2C19.3%2C8.2%2C4.7%2C17.5%2C7%2C27.9%2C7s19.5-2.3%2C27.6-7c8.1-4.7%2C14.4-11.1%2C18.8-19.3%2C4.5-8.2%2C6.7-17.7%2C6.7-28.4s-2.3-20.2-6.8-28.4c-4.5-8.2-10.8-14.7-18.9-19.3ZM939.2%2C142.4c-2.5%2C5-6%2C8.9-10.5%2C11.7-4.5%2C2.9-9.6%2C4.3-15.3%2C4.3s-11.1-1.4-15.6-4.3c-4.5-2.9-8.1-6.8-10.7-11.7-2.6-4.9-3.9-10.7-3.9-17.3s1.3-12.3%2C3.8-17.4c2.5-5%2C6-8.9%2C10.5-11.7%2C4.5-2.8%2C9.6-4.2%2C15.5-4.2s11%2C1.4%2C15.5%2C4.3c4.5%2C2.9%2C8%2C6.8%2C10.6%2C11.7%2C2.6%2C5%2C3.9%2C10.7%2C3.9%2C17.3s-1.3%2C12.3-3.8%2C17.3Z%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M1058.4%2C135.3c-2.1-4.4-5.3-8.4-9.6-11.9-4.3-3.6-9.9-6.2-16.7-7.8l-12.3-2.9c-4.5-1.1-7.9-2.5-10.2-4.3-2.4-1.7-3.6-3.7-3.6-5.8%2C0-3.6%2C1.3-6.4%2C4-8.5%2C2.6-2%2C6.3-3%2C11.1-3s9.1.9%2C13%2C2.8c3.9%2C1.9%2C6.6%2C4.6%2C7.9%2C8.1l19.4-8.8c-1.5-4.6-4.3-8.6-8.2-12-3.9-3.4-8.5-6.1-13.9-7.9-5.4-1.9-11.3-2.8-17.7-2.8-12.7%2C0-22.4%2C2.9-29.2%2C8.6-6.8%2C5.7-10.1%2C13.8-10.1%2C24.3s2.8%2C13.4%2C8.4%2C18.9c5.6%2C5.5%2C13.3%2C9.5%2C23.2%2C12l9.8%2C2.7c4.6%2C1.1%2C8.2%2C2.5%2C10.7%2C4.3%2C2.5%2C1.7%2C3.8%2C4.2%2C3.8%2C7.4s-1.6%2C6-4.9%2C7.8c-3.3%2C1.9-7.6%2C2.8-13.1%2C2.8s-9.6-1.3-13.7-4c-4.1-2.6-7.2-5.9-9.3-9.8l-20.3%2C9c2.2%2C5.2%2C5.4%2C9.7%2C9.6%2C13.5%2C4.2%2C3.8%2C9.2%2C6.8%2C15.1%2C8.9%2C5.9%2C2.1%2C12.3%2C3.1%2C19.2%2C3.1s14.8-1.3%2C20.9-3.9c6.1-2.6%2C11-6.2%2C14.5-11%2C3.6-4.7%2C5.3-10.2%2C5.3-16.5s-1-8.9-3.1-13.3Z%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E)