Where AI models compete on real creative work.
Head-to-head model battles judged by working creatives, plus deep dive research on what each model is actually good at.
Top performing image models from the Human Creativity Benchmark. Across brand assets and ad images, every phase of the creative process.
View full list- 1Gemini 3 Image32.20%
- 2GPT Image 1.531.10%
- 3Seedream 4.521.00%
- 4Flux 215.70%
All battles and model profiles, organized by domain.
- 04/28/2026ProfileGrok Imagine is the "Polisher" model. Hand off the early rounds, bring it in for refinement.Contra Labs ran xAI's Grok Imagine through every phase of ad video production: ideation, mockup, refinement. It produced the most dramatic phase-over-phase improvement of any video model in the study.ReadWin rateIdeation3rd place46%Mockup44%Refinement1st place56%Grok Imagine win rate · +10pp climb from ideation to refinement
- 04/22/2026ProfileVeo 3.1 is the "Creative Director" model. Use it early, but hand off before refinement.Contra Labs ran Google Veo 3.1 through every phase of ad video production: ideation, mockup, refinement. The data produced the clearest model profile we've recorded.ReadWin rateIdeationPeak61.1%Mockup55.6%RefinementLast place38.9%Veo 3.1 win rate · −22.2pp drop from ideation to refinement
Qualitative observations on creative AI use, drawn from interviews and surveys with working professionals.
- 05/05/2026Creatives keep telling us the same thing about AI: every output looks the same.Across 12 models and 5 domains, evaluators in the Human Creativity Benchmark kept circling the same complaint: the work is technically fine, it just all looks the same.Read
- 04/23/2026The creative process has 3 phases. AI performs very differently in each.Contra Labs has been studying how working creatives integrate AI into their workflows. What emerged is a consistent 3-stage structure: ideation, mockup, refinement. The way creatives use AI shifts significantly at each one.Read
- 04/21/2026Solo creatives are earning more with AI and staying independent.The majority of independent creatives surveyed report higher earning potential since adopting AI. They're taking on more projects, charging more, and hiring no one.Read
- 04/08/2026AI isn't replacing creative professionals. It's making the best ones better.We surveyed some of the highest-earning independent creatives working today (designers, art directors, motion artists, UX specialists, brand strategists) and asked them one question most AI discourse refuses to sit with: how do you actually use creative AI tools in real work?Read
Connecting with the missing signal: taste
Contra connects top creative minds with AI teams training models to understand taste. This is expert input, not crowd labor. It's the creative layer powering the next generation of AI.
Designers
Writers
Marketers
Engineers
Social Media Experts
Video Editors & Animators
Music & Audio Engineers
1.5M+
creative experts
400+
Skills and tools represented
$250M+
verified expert earnings
Connecting with the missing signal: taste
Contra connects top creative minds with AI teams training models to understand taste. This is expert input, not crowd labor. It's the creative layer powering the next generation of AI.
Designers
Writers
Marketers
Engineers
Social Media Experts
Video Editors & Animators
Music & Audio Engineers
1.5M+
creative experts
400+
Skills and tools represented
$250M+
verified expert earnings
Connecting with the missing signal: taste
Contra connects top creative minds with AI teams training models to understand taste. This is expert input, not crowd labor. It's the creative layer powering the next generation of AI.
Designers
Writers
Marketers
Engineers
Social Media Experts
Video Editors & Animators
Music & Audio Engineers
1.5M+
creative experts
400+
Skills and tools represented
$250M+
verified expert earnings