Six years ago, a burger-loving Aries packed up his life in Colorado and landed in Charlotte, bringing with him a sharp tech mind, a creative spirit and an unapologetic love for all things nerdy. Jason Lewis, founder of Olive AI Creative and lead UI/UX mobile developer by day, now calls South End home, where his light-filled loft doubles as both a workstation and a sanctuary decorated with Star Wars art and Pokémon figures. In this Qnotes interview, Jason opens up about his journey from Western North Carolina to Denver and back, his connection to the LGBTQ+ community, his thoughts on AI and the future of work, and the values that guide his career, relationships and commitment to community.
L’Monique King: What’s your connection to the LGBTQ Community?
Jason Lewis: I identify as a cis gay man.
LMK: Do you have any siblings?
JL: Yes, two. I’m the oldest.
LMK: Where are you from?
JL: I was born in Marion; it’s in Western North Carolina near Asheville.
LMK: How’d you end up moving to Charlotte from Colorado?
JL: I moved to Charlotte from Denver, Colo. I moved there after completing grad school in Atlanta. I hated living in Atlanta. Hated the traffic — it took me two hours to get to work when I only lived two miles away from Downtown Atlanta where I worked. When I graduated, I had multiple job offers and took one in Boulder[, Colo.] It was an internship with one of the top advertising companies in the world. I took up snowboarding and got to create ads and programs for a lot of cool companies. It was the best time in my entire life.
LMK: Do you like Charlotte?
JL: I love Charlotte. I love that there’s a lot of things to do and a good community. It feels like a big city with small town vibes.
LMK: Where in Charlotte do you live?
JL: I live in South End in a loft apartment. I love my loft. It’s perfect for entertaining on the lower level, with privacy upstairs and away from all the nosy people.
LMK: Are you partnered?
JL: No. Eventually, I’d like to be. But right now, I’m taking my time and working on myself. I’m putting me first for once.
LMK: How would you describe your ideal partner?
JL: Someone who’s not selfish. And they’d have to be a dog person. I’m allergic to cats <chuckling>. Gotta like snowboarding and kickball which I play competitively. I have a kickball team, I created all the logos and branding for the team, The KickAchus and we play in the Stonewall Sports league.
LMK: What do you do for a living?
JL: I have my own company, Olive AI Creative. I came up with that name because I had a dog named Olive who wore a red hoody in the winter. So that was the inspiration for the logo. I consider myself a technologist. I do all the tech stuff, coding, programming AI bots and I’m working on building a custom bot. I’m learning another programming language which is kind of fun. We’re in our second year now – going into our third. While I work on growing Olive AI Creative, I also have a day job. I’m the lead Ui/Ux Developer for T-Mobile. I manage multiple platforms for the running of cell tower networks.
LMK: As someone so deeply involved in the ever changing world of technology and specifically the wave of Artificial Intelligence, what would you say to an artist concerned about displacement or erasure as a result of AI?
JL: I’d tell them, you should be concerned about it and how it will impact your work. But don’t panic, focus on how to position yourself as an artist that doesn’t use AI to create their work. The thing is – you can train AI. So, it’s about knowing how to put the puzzle pieces together so that it reflects you and your creation isn’t generic.
LMK: What about AI’s impact on the workforce. How will employers determine if job applicants are skilled, have been authentically credentialed in their fields of work or have used AI to exaggerate their resumes?
JL: There are tools that you can use to see if text or coding has been generated by AI. The job market will get worse before it gets better because a lot of companies are using AI to cut positions, making it harder for graduating students to find jobs. Right now, the U.S. has the highest unemployment rate since 2008.
Funny thing is, last year I had a job interview where the interviewer (my potential manager) was using Meta AI (in my presence) to ask AI for answers to the questions I asked. He didn’t know many of the [industry] terms, development terms, Ax terms — he asked [AI to define them]. It was insane.
LMK: What advice would you give those recent college grads entering the workforce and others looking for new employment opportunities?
JL: Seriously consider starting your own business and consulting. Use your social media skills to market yourself, make money and become an entrepreneur. You grew up with social media and it will make you a valuable commodity in today’s workforce.
LMK: How about yourself? As someone who performs as a digital marketer, do you have concerns about instability within the workforce?
JL: I do, but the best thing about my career is that I know how to design and code. AI cannot do design. Ux design is based upon users, it’s very unique. Every user is different and AI cannot replace that.
LMK: What are your future career goals?
JL: I’ve thought about getting into politics, but with the current political climate I don’t think so. It’s hard to run for office in North Carolina if you’re a gay person or anything considered different. So, honestly, running a successful business and consulting with nonprofits (helping them accelerate with their use of technology) is my focus now. I’m always happy to volunteer in community and be able to give back.
LMK: Any other concerns with our current political climate?
JL: I think that in the coming years people will understand that it’s not about red or blue, but affordability. You shouldn’t have to worry about your home being foreclosed over a hospital visit. Healthcare should be a right and as gay people we shouldn’t be charged more for PrEP. Lots of HIV and STI funding has been cut by the Trump administration. It’s dangerous. People who don’t have access to the affordability for preventative health care will be in a position to lie about whether or not they’re taking care of themselves, which can lead to increased rates of HIV and STIs. It’s disturbing. I’m a Democratic Socialist and want Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run for president in 2028. She’s a New York Congresswoman who has toured with Bernie Sanders. She’s also a millennial and the youngest woman to ever serve in congress at only 29-years old.
LMK: With so much going on in the U.S. right now how do you stay sane? Any self-care rituals?
JL: I have life a coach and she’s amazing. I also go to the gym and play video games like Fortnight and Pokémon.
LMK: On a lighter note, burgers or tacos?
JL: Burgers, they’re my weakness. I love a good burger. I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but the Charlotte Beer Garden makes the most amazing burgers.
LMK: Beach trips or greenway walks?
JL: Ski resort – I like snowboarding. It’s my biggest pet peeve about Charlotte. It gets cold here but there’s no snow.
LMK: Books or movies?
JL: Movies. The last movie I really enjoyed was “Red, White and Royal Blue.” It’s a romance centered around politics. It’s a great love story. I’m a huge romantic.
LMK: Any 2026 resolutions?
JL: To keep up with the gym and to make sure I maintain good, healthy habits.
LMK: If you had a superpower, what would it be?
JL: I’d either want to be invisible or Thor, the God of Thunder. I think, like a classic southerner <chuckling> so, I like people watching and seeing what goes on with them. As for Thor, I’d like to be able to throw the hammer down on people who do not treat me or my friends well. I stick up for my friends and I’m unapologetic about it. You can ask anyone who knows me.
LMK; Any words of advice for our LGBTQ youth who may not have the powers of invisibility or Thor?JL: It’s so cliché to say it gets better, so I won’t say that. But I will say, Vote. The next generation is going to move us forward as a country and it will be millennials and the generations after them that will create change in our country.