We work with numerous creators exploring new ground through innovative approaches to technology and the future role of art. One such artist is illustrator George Fox, who has taken an entrepreneurial approach to his relationship with AI. We are supporting him in the growth of his creative business, IP protection and brand development.
George's artwork brings together illustration, machinery and AI, and has universal appeal across sectors, whether through collaborations with Fatboy Slim, public work at Brighton & Hove Football Club’s Amex Stadium, Williams Racing, or private commissions that are equally utopian and dystopian.
He met with Partner in Mishcon Private, Amanda Gray, to discuss how his system‑based artistic style has evolved, how technology and collaboration extend his work, and how he is developing an artist‑led, legally grounded approach to using AI in creativity.
Your work has a very distinct style, fusing technical drawing, architecture, machinery and moving elements. Tell us more about how it has evolved. What inspires you?
My work has always been about understanding how things function beneath the surface, not just visually, but structurally and emotionally.
I was drawn early on to the great narrative engineers, Heath Robinson and Rube Goldberg, as well as architecture, diagrams and systems thinking. I love the idea that you can take something complex, a stadium, a brand, a cultural moment, and express it as a single, connected visual.
Over time, that’s evolved into what I now think of as engineered artworks, pieces that bring together people, place, process and energy into one cohesive system.
“I’m not just creating artwork, I’m building systems around it that can live, evolve and generate value over time.”
That approach has taken me into some incredible environments, from being commissioned by Wimbledon, to working as an artist around the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with Team GB, through to installations for global brands and private clients. Most recently, I’ve been developing a full artistic identity for a hotel in the Alps, creating a body of work that lives across an entire space.
The style has refined, but the principle hasn’t changed: everything is connected. And if you can draw those connections clearly, the story becomes both engaging and meaningful.
If we look at examples of your work, they combine quite traditional drawing with new technology. Explain the genesis of using Artivive and modern technology.
Everything starts by hand. The drawing is always the foundation, understanding the subject, building the system, and making sure it stands on its own.
The move into digital layers came naturally. As the work became more detailed, it felt like there were additional stories, movement, sound and moments, sitting just beneath the surface that couldn’t be fully expressed in a static format.
Using tools like Artivive allowed me to extend the artwork without compromising it. The technology sits over the piece, unlocking another layer, whether that’s motion, interaction or narrative.
Importantly, it’s never about the technology itself. It’s about deepening the connection.
From a commercial perspective, it also means the same artwork can operate across multiple environments, physical, digital and experiential, opening up entirely different ways for audiences and brands to engage with it.
Tell us about your work with Fatboy Slim.
Working with Fatboy Slim came from a shared connection to Brighton and a wider series I’ve been developing around the city, spanning football, theatre, music, culture and the South Downs.
We met for a coffee and began talking about creating a visual backdrop to his sets. One of the challenges was that the level of detail in my work doesn’t naturally translate to large-scale digital screens, a lot of the nuance gets lost, so we parked that idea, but stayed in touch.
In his typically modest way, when a coffee brand approached him for a collaboration, he brought me into the conversation. That led to artwork for the product, which then extended into prints and a wider body of work.
From there, it evolved further, integrating augmented reality so the artwork comes to life through his music, with the visual system and sound working together.
It’s become an ongoing creative relationship and friendship. In fact, I’ve recently borrowed one of his original valve amplifiers as inspiration for a new piece exploring the mechanics of culture, a natural continuation of that shared space.
Why do you think your work fits so well with multiple genres of sport, culture and fashion?
I think it’s because I’m not really drawing a subject, I’m drawing a system.
Whether it’s a football club, a musician, a brand or a cultural moment, they all share a similar underlying structure: people, history, energy and output. The visual language shifts, but the framework stays the same.
“Whether it’s sport, music or brand, I’m drawing the system behind the story, that’s why the work translates.”
That allows the work to move naturally across different worlds. Sport becomes performance and fan culture. Music becomes rhythm and shared experience. Fashion becomes identity and craft. Fundamentally, though, they’re all ecosystems.
Because the work is built with depth, it can operate on multiple levels, visually engaging, but also able to live across campaigns, environments and long-term storytelling.
That balance between aesthetic and function is what gives it range.
AI is shunned and embraced by artists in equal measure. What is your view, and why do you not perceive it as a threat?
I understand both sides. AI raises real questions around authorship, ownership and value, and those concerns are valid.
But I don’t see it as a threat in itself. Like most technologies, it’s a tool, and its impact depends on how it’s structured.
For me, the opportunity lies in shifting the relationship. Rather than AI extracting from creative work without recognition, there’s potential for genuine collaboration, where original thinking and intellectual property remain central.
That’s where my focus has developed, not replacing creation, but building frameworks around it.
If approached properly, AI can unlock new forms of expression and new commercial models for artists. But that requires transparency, trust and clear structures around ownership and usage as the technology evolves.
“The future of creativity isn’t AI replacing artists, it’s artists owning how AI works with them.”
You are working on a safe space for artists to collaborate and use AI, explain how this works. We have been exploring and working with you on the legal protections and implications around this.
The starting point was a very real concern, that a huge amount of creative work is currently being absorbed into AI systems without consent, control or return to the artist.
So I began developing a platform to address that directly, something artist-led, but built with the structure needed to operate properly in the real world.
At its core, it’s a controlled environment where artists can engage with AI on their own terms. Their work isn’t passively scraped; it’s actively contributed, protected and used within clearly defined parameters.
That allows for a shift in how creative work is valued. An artist’s style, process and intellectual property become recognised as assets, with transparent usage, permission‑based access, and the ability to generate ongoing value through licensing or royalty models.
The legal framework is fundamental. Without clarity around ownership, usage and rights, none of this holds. That’s why the legal work being done is so important, it gives the platform credibility, structure and trust from the outset.
It’s still evolving, but it’s no longer just an idea, it’s something actively being built. There’s a genuine opportunity to shape how artists and AI interact in a way that feels fair, sustainable and commercially viable.
What are you working on currently?
There are several strands running in parallel at the moment.
On the artwork side, I’m developing a major piece celebrating 125 years of Brighton & Hove Albion, building on existing work and expanding it so it can live across the club, its supporters and wider outputs. Alongside that, I’m working with a major global retailer and a leading fashion brand on separate projects, as well as preparing for exhibitions across April, May and August.
There’s also ongoing work in sport and venue environments, alongside more personal pieces exploring the mechanics of culture, particularly through music and place.
Running alongside all of this, and increasingly taking focus, is the development of the AI platform.
That’s the element with real scale. It sits at the intersection of creativity, technology and ownership, and it’s beginning to open conversations beyond the traditional art world.
What’s important now is building it in the right way, with the right thinking, experience and people involved early.
“There’s a real opportunity here to shape something at the intersection of art, technology and ownership.”
I’m very clear on my role, I bring the creative vision, an understanding of artists, and the ability to translate complex systems into something tangible.
This now needs to be supported by people who understand how to take it further, through investment, structure and strategic guidance.
The foundations are there, the direction is clear, and the opportunity is real.
“The platform is being built, the next step is bringing the right people into it.”
Find out more about George's work.