You famously predicted that “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” With TikTok and Instagram, it seems you were right. What do you think of this new reality?

Oh, gee, I actually underestimated it. Now people can be famous for 15 seconds. *[Takes out smartphone]* This is exactly what I was talking about, but even better. Everyone’s carrying around their own little Factory, making movies, being superstars. And the filters! They’re like my silk screens but instant. I would have loved Instagram. It’s so mechanical, so perfect.

How do you feel about influencers essentially becoming human brands?

That’s what I was doing all along – turning people into brands, brands into art, art into business. These influencers, they’re living my philosophy. When they stage their lives for content, that’s performance art. When they sell products, that’s business art. The only difference is they don’t need someone like me to make them famous anymore. The machine does it for them.

Your Campbell’s Soup Cans predicted the merge of art and commerce. Now we have NFTs and digital art. Your thoughts?

NFTs are brilliant. Making money is art, and working is art, and good business is the best art – that’s what I always said. NFTs just make it more… obvious. And the fact that people are paying millions for digital files? *[Laughs]* I love it. It’s like my Marilyn prints, but you can’t even touch them. Perfect.

What about AI art generators? Would you use them?

Oh, yes, immediately. *[Pulls out iPad]* Look at this – machines making art without any human emotion? That’s my dream come true. I always wanted to be a machine. These AI tools, they’re like my silk-screening process but infinitely more removed from the human hand. I’d probably have a whole series of AI-generated Campbell’s Soup Cans by now.

Social media has turned everyone into a curator of their own image. You were ahead of your time with this concept.

Everyone’s now the star of their own movie, carefully editing their life story. It’s exactly what we did at the Factory, but now it’s universal. When I carried my tape recorder and camera everywhere, people thought I was strange. Now everyone’s documenting everything. I wasn’t weird – I was just early.

Would The Factory exist today? How would it be different?

Oh, The Factory would be everywhere and nowhere. We’d be a content house, like those TikTok mansions, but more… artistic. We’d live-stream everything. Every conversation would be a podcast. Every lunch would be content. Every visitor would sign a release form. *[Pauses]* Actually, that part hasn’t changed.

Your work often dealt with repetition and mass production. How do you view the current state of viral content and memes?

Memes are the new pop art! They’re democratic, repetitive, and meaningless in the most meaningful way. When I repeated images until they lost meaning, people called it art. When teenagers do it with memes, it’s exactly the same thing. Culture eating itself and spitting itself back out – beautiful.

What about the attention economy? Everything seems to be about grabbing people’s attention now.

That’s what I was exploring with my films like “Empire” – how long can you hold someone’s attention with practically nothing happening? Now there’s this whole science to it. Analytics, engagement rates, watch time… *[Checks phone again]* It’s fascinating. Although I might need to speed up my eight-hour films for TikTok.

The line between high art and popular culture has become increasingly blurred. You were one of the first to challenge this distinction.

There is no line anymore, and that’s wonderful. When I showed art in department stores, people were shocked. Now luxury brands collaborate with artists all the time. Everyday objects become limited editions. Supreme made an actual brick and people bought it! *[Pauses]* I wish I’d thought of that.

Finally, what would you say to artists trying to navigate today’s digital landscape?

Don’t think about it too much. Just keep producing. Quantity is quality. And don’t worry about being deep – the surface is everything. The more surface you have, the more likely you are to strike depth somewhere. Oh, and get a good phone with a good camera. *[Takes selfie]* Being shallow has never been so profound.