As an emergent process, creativity relies on explorations via sampling and prototyping for problem construction. These activities compile knowledge, provide a context enveloping the solution, and answer questions. With Generative AI, practitioners can go beyond sampling existing media towards instantly generating and remixing new ones. We refer to this convergence as 'protosampling'. Using existing literature we ground a definition for protosampling and operationalize it through Atelier, a canvas-like system that leverages a variety of generative image and video models for visual creation. Atelier: (1) blends the spaces for thinking and creation, where both references and generated assets co-exist in one space, (2) provides various encapsulated technical workflows that focus on the activity at hand, and (3) enables navigating emergence through interactive visualizations, smart search, and collections. Protosampling as a lens reframes creative work to emphasize the process itself and how seemingly disjointed thoughts can tightly interweave into a final solution.

翻译：作为一种涌现过程，创造力依赖于通过采样和原型设计进行探索以构建问题。这些活动整合知识、提供围绕解决方案的语境并回答问题。借助生成式AI，实践者能够超越对现有媒介的采样，转而即时生成并重新混合新内容。我们将这种融合称为“原型采样”。基于现有文献，我们确立了原型采样的定义，并通过Atelier系统将其操作化——这是一个类似画布的系统，利用多种生成式图像与视频模型进行视觉创作。Atelier具备以下特性：(1) 融合思考与创作空间，使参考素材与生成素材共存于同一空间；(2) 提供多种封装的技术工作流，专注于当前创作活动；(3) 通过交互式可视化、智能搜索与收藏功能支持涌现过程的导航。原型采样作为一种理论视角，重构了创造性工作，强调创作过程本身以及看似离散的思维如何紧密交织成最终解决方案。