“In today’s gaming world, storytelling is paramount. Playbrary aims to present the greatest stories ever written in an interactive, gamified format, inspiring people to read the original books,” says Cyril Louis, ECD at LePub. “As the saying will go, the book is always better than the game.”

Games stick to each book’s original plot while allowing players to get creative as the story unfolds. After a kid “plays” a book, they’re encouraged to read the physical or digital volume.

Click images to enlarge:

Playbrary is available globally in more than 50 languages. The NLB is working directly with schools and libraries to entice young gamers and partnered with game influencer on Twitch to share their favorite books.

“Advanced AI models like ChatGPT don’t yet have a mind of their own,” Louis tells Muse. “The engineering and training of such tools is a novel area that requires substantial experimentation.”

CREDITS

Client: National Reading Movement, National Library Board, Singapore Programme Director: Chris Koh
Senior Manager/Senior Librarian: Ilyani Suhaimi,
Manager: Jennifer Tan

Agency: LePub APAC
Global Chief Creative Officer: Cristiana Boccassini
Chief Creative Officer: Mihnea Gheorghiu
Executive Creative Director: Cyril Louis
Executive Creative Director: Andrey Tyukavkin
Creative Director: Sergey Mast
Head of Creative Technology, Publicis Groupe APAC: Laurent Thevenet
Associate Creative Director: Mark Peeters
Associate Creative Director: Robert Nelk
Associate Creative Director: Yuste De Lucas
Associate Creative Director: Rudy Zulkifly
Design Director: Oscar Gutierrez
General Manager: Hanh Kanssen
Senior Project Manager: Farhan Wahab

PR: MSL Singapore
Director: Karen Yap
Consultant: Thiviya Suria Associate: Isha Meleth
Associate: Jee Soo Kim Associate-in-Training: Regine Seow

“The inspiration came from the 1998 Brazilian film Central Station’ depicting the true story of a retired school teacher who wrote letters for illiterate individuals,” say Lucas Casão and Guilherme Rácz, SVPs at McCann. “The image of her in the streets, skillfully crafting people’s stories into letters, seemed truly honest and powerful. That kept us thinking about how nice it would be if we could use AI to turn different holiday stories into masterpieces.”

In addition to the long-form ad, seven individual stories were packaged as 30-second spots. Andree Ljutica directed. Consumers can learn how the memories were brought to life and visit Bing to create their own stories.

“This campaign is centered on rekindling connections with people, memories, and the things we cherish most about the holiday season,” says McCann EVP, executive global CD Cristina Reina. “We chose AI to amplify those feelings and evoke a sense of wonder. To show how incredible a modern tool like AI could make those past memories and connections feel new.”

CREDITS

Microsoft
Kathleen Hall | Corporate VP of Brand  
Sven Seger | General  Manager, Global Creative  
Carol Phillips | General Manager, Global Advertising  
Sunita Richardson | Senior Director, Brand Strategy + Ops, Chief of Staff  
Aleksey Fedorov | Director, Global Brand Marketing  
Kaity Butcher | Brand Manager, Microsoft Brand Studio  
Pia Rodriguez | Global Brand Strategist  
Stephanie Quartararo | Managing Advisor, Content Creation  

McCann 
Creative
Sean Bryan | CCO & ECD Global Brands, North America 
Shayne Millington | CCO & ECD Global Brands, NY 
Cristina Reina | EVP, Executive Global Creative Director  
Pete Johnson | EVP, Executive Global Creative Director  
Lucas Casão | SVP, Group Creative Director  
Guilherme Rácz | SVP, Group Creative Director  
Camilla Ciappina | Associate Creative Director  
Daniel Trimarchi | Associate Creative Director  
Matthew van Leeuwen | EVP, Head of Design 
Mook Phoungbut | Design Director 

Business Leadership
John Dunleavy | President, McCann Worldgroup
Socrates Papazoglou | SVP, Executive Account Director  
Hugh Simpson | VP, Account Director  
Marguerite Daly | Account Director  
Courtney Marin | Account Director  

Project Management
Anne Denny | VP, Project Management Director 

Strategy
Emily Portnoy | Chief Strategy Officer
Sam Chotiner | EVP, Executive Strategy Director
Danielle Noto | SVP, Group Strategy Director
Kyla Jackson | Strategist

Production
Aaron Kovan | Chief Production Officer  
Stacy Flaum | SVP, Executive Producer 
Debbie Myllek | Talent Payment Manager  
David Halberstadt | Integrated Production Business Manager 
Jamie Jou | Director of Music Licensing

APR  
Stephanie Quartararo | Managing Advisor, Content Creation 
Tommy Murov | Post/VFX Advisor 

Craft Worldwide 
Andree Ljutica | Director  
Adam Hirsch | SVP, Head of Content, North America  
Zoe Greene | Executive Producer  
Kim Anderson | Line Producer  
Malik Dupree | Photographer 
Marta Gromysz | Business Director
Lisa Kawamoto | Client Partner Americas Language Services
Ajit Jha | Project Director, Translation

No6 
Corina Dennison | Executive Producer  
Laura Molinaro | Head of Production  
James Duffy | Editor  
Nick Schneider | Editor 

Revolve Audio 
Paul Weiss | Mix Engineer  
Gilda McCrann | Studio Director 

Music:
JSM

DJing is an art form and a craft I have been mastering for nearly 30 years. I’m incredibly passionate about it. In fact, it’s where I feel most at home. Creating perfect vibes for a particular collection of people on a dance floor—whether there’s five or 500—is one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. It requires the inherently human talent of crafting connections through precise musical choices.

So, naturally, the debate on how AI is emerging as the next frontier across the creative landscape has caught my attention. It will undoubtedly rewrite some portion of the DJ rule book. But as long as interpersonal connection remains a critical nutrient for the soul (spoiler: it will), then the craft, in my opinion, is safe. In fact, I see AI as providing a great opportunity for exciting augmentation.

Finding that early human connection

For two reasons, my favorite set as a DJ is the warm-up. First, and quite selfishly, this slot means my work section of the evening is over relatively early, and I’m able to revel in the joys of being an audience member. Also, I adore the power in those early evening musical choices and the opportunity to set the mood for the night.

Responding to an evolving audience as they find their feet and loosen up on the dance floor requires an innate human dynamism. The principle employed by a DJ in the warm-up set can generate a beautiful and intimate relationship between artist and audience.

This is a trust that is hard-earned by the DJ. For all of AI’s genius abilities, this human factor is a quality that it does not threaten. That’s a truth to be cherished by creatives more generally. A DJ responds, reflects and reinforces how an audience is feeling. Any brand that aspires to have a customer-centric strategy will do the same. Through leaning into emotion, brands (and DJs) are rewarded with a loyal consumer (or fan) base.

I’m hopeful that if AI is incorporated across the creative industries in a sensitive and intelligent way, the interpersonal qualities will have space to flourish, beautifully.

For DJs, AI can scientifically assess mood. For example, it can deliver information about average BPMs and make song suggestions accordingly. Don’t be surprised if in a few years, AI DJ assistants are making suggestions based on audience brainwaves, too!

AI, the world’s best ego equalizer

Creativity based on pure subjectivity is intrinsically limited. If I perform a DJ set which features only songs to serve my mood that evening, I have not succeeded at my job. This might seem like a rule that should be applied across the industry in equal measure. And I would agree; however, I have experienced many adland boardrooms where campaigns have been killed by committee consensus. The loudest voice in the room wins rather than—by some objective measure—the best creative to satisfy the brief.

AI, however, can deliver objective recommendations—through harvesting and comprehending enormous amounts of data—regarding which ads serve the brief best. This data does not set the agenda but empowers the team to be bolder. Behind the decks, this means combining the DJ quality of audience connection with statistics to generate truly augmented choices.

I have been an avid tech enthusiast since the birth of the web. I vividly remember my visceral excitement about the era of Internet 1.0. In the early 2000s, it presented an opportunity for data democratization leading to boundless ideation. And now, it is all things—part creation, part shopping, part entertainment platform and frankly, part dumpster fire.

AI is the new battleground, and those with apprehension about its possible impact are reasonable to hold such doubts. I feel vindicated in my optimistic take on the internet back at the turn of the century, and confident the same will prove true for AI.

I do not envision a world where the art of DJing is lost to the powers of machines. Instead, I see a great opportunity for enhancing the performance through improving how we connect with an audience.

Interaction and Engagement

Fashion designer Priya Ahluwalia recently bridged the gap between technology and sustainability. Like Lauv, she working with Microsoft, launching Circulate, an initiative aimed at driving environmental change.

Circulate allows anyone to contribute to Ahluwalia’s collection. Folks donate used clothing through the app. A.I. analyzes each garment, categorizing it based on color, fabric type, style and condition. This level of detail assists the Ahluwalia team in understanding the potential applications for each donated item, optimizes their upcycling process and minimizes waste.

Through their contributions, fans engage in a meaningful, hands-on way. They are not passive consumers, but active participants, making a tangible impact on the collection. Here, technology not only enhances the sustainability of fashion, but also allows fans to participate on a deeper level, redefining the relationship between creators and their supporters.

Identity and Self-Expression

Fandom is also about celebrating individuality and self-expression. On that score, A.I. can provide audiences with tools for developing fan art and fiction, personalized merchandise, customized profiles and avatars.

Grimes is now inviting followers to utilize a computer-generated version of her voice to compose new music. The pilot program, Elf.Tech, allows peeps to convert vocal samples into a “GrimesAI voiceprint” for creating original songs. The program offers professional distribution and a 50 percent royalty split for approved collaborations. This initiative showcases Grimes’ dedication to exploring novel artistic avenues and signifies a potential shift in how fandom may benefit more people in the future. Her pioneering attitude could usher in a new era, bridging the gap between artists and their audience.

As we traverse this evolving landscape, it becomes clear that the future is here, and it’s powered by A.I. Yes, this new reality presents challenges. But it also holds immense promise for a more vibrant, engaged and diverse world of fandom.

TL;DR Artists are at the vanguard with artificial intelligence. Protect them, invest in them and properly acknowledge them to create a new creative ecology. Don’t just use the tech to line coffers and make great ad campaigns. It’s a new world and we need new kinds of leaders. Artificial Intelligence wielded without slow Emotional Intelligence will cause unnecessary harm to the communities affected most by its use. (Cue De La Soul’s “Ego Trippin.”)

Now, let’s go time-traveling. Imagine an alternate reality in the late ’90s/early 2000s, where everyone has some clue of how crazy social media is about to get. In this alternate reality, no one creates a profile on any platform without being assured of some return for their time spent building that platform’s value. On this other timeline, “connecting with friends” just wouldn’t cut it as an even exchange for us giving away our creativity and data. In reality, it didn’t turn out that way. Our dopamine addiction got monetized to the point that it drives pop culture, and we don’t get our cut. Now we’re in too deep to go back. 

Artificial Intelligence is the new crossroads. The stakes are higher, and it will advance way more quickly. All aspects of creativity will be forever altered. Of course, artists are adapting and creating new workflows and interesting usage cases. The entertainment and marketing industries are studying their moves with gold rush energy. But until we are clear on how our work might make the world a better place, we may be doomed to repeat mistakes of the past. Along the way will be some mind-blowing A.I. co-produced ads and campaigns, but how can we make sure the creative community from which the A.I. harvests its data set continues to thrive? How do we build a future that recognizes that generative A.I. can only be refined by a healthy creative ecology?

Artists, out of genuine curiosity and a need to expand, are already showing us the way. Following them, thoughtfully incorporating their discoveries into our work and then widely acknowledging them will ensure that we do generative A.I. in a sustainable way. Here are three approaches to doing so.

Build a creative safe space in your organization.

Let A.I. concept and empower humans to create. The true power is not solely in A.I. itself, but in how we can imagine using it. A.I. should probably never lead any creative pursuit, especially since most generative A.I. is scraping, collecting and regurgitating. We should create spaces where creatives are incentivized to imagine thoughtful use, let them experiment and then we make a new thing from there, with the artist fully acknowledged and supported. I point you to Marla Montgomery. The new VP, creative director at Lizzo’s YITTY is a Midjourney wizard in her off hours. 

Underwater transformation series—elephants turning into sea kelp, glowing flowers. (Marla Montgomery as @therestingcloud)

Her A.I.-generated collection lives on Instagram @therestingclouds, where she uses the tech to world-build. In that space, she has created fantasy brand “Amparo,” an entire fantasy fashion line inspired by her grandmother and her Mexican heritage. She dreams of one day having a space where her A.I. explorations can meet her professional life. But not at the expense of thoughtfulness.

“I think people and companies should consider their intentions when working with A.I.,” Marla says. “You always have to have a point of view.”

Fantasy Brand “Amparo” Part 1.

Imagine a future where your organization creates residencies, grants and competitions that publicly reward this type of thinking.

Let creatives (and creatives only) determine the generative A.I. workflow, not the other way around.

This is not a job for engineers and executives in the tech department. Take Nate Donmoyer, early A.I. mover and music producer for the likes of The Weeknd, Passion Pit, Pharrell Williams, Twin Shadow and yours truly. Nate has long incorporated “ML” (machine learning) into his processes as both a professional musician and sound designer for big entertainment brands. Only a creative like Nate can feel how implementing new processes will affect our work.

“The first place I saw [A.I.] show up in the studio was in the form of plug-in preset settings suggestions based on program material,” Donmoyer says. “The plug-ins would listen to the audio flowing through their channels and make a guess of what setting might be most likely to benefit the mix. That was a few years ago and I have to admit it isn’t in my workflow anymore, but that’s probably more to do with my work not lining up with what the training data set is most likely to be.”

Generative A.I. not created by creatives, being used to produce creativity, is riddled with blind spots. Same as any tech designed for a community that was not developed by the community itself. Midjourney is a prime example of this. It was created by developers to generate “art,” without much regard for the use of original artworks that make Midjourney outputs.

“The data source is often not credited, let alone compensated, and taken without consent,” Donmoyer says. “Imagine …you gave permission for your music to be heard around the world on the internet, …but did you give permission for someone to ingest your entire music catalog and train an application to create new works and audio based on your output?” Donmoyer recommends creators look into https://spawning.ai to learn about opting their IP out of the training set data and other tools. A.I. decisions that will affect creatives should include us on the ground floor.

Normalize giving love.

Over the last decade and a half, artists of all types have been sold the line that they have to give their works away. All in hopes of the chance of more exposure and career vitality. To level up, creators have to always be sharing, promoting, marketing and putting their “value” on display. This model has benefitted platforms, agencies and trendspotters tremendously. We have all become The Mandalorian and accepted that This Is The Way. The creative community at large hasn’t cashed in on this model yet. Because of its nature, only a few can win. With the advent of A.I. and the massive creative movement, a new breed of creator is bound to surface. “I think what we’re seeing is the decoupling of craft and expertise from usual expressions.” states creator, deep learning enthusiast and co-founder of qub, hou.mon.

As these creators show us how to maximize A.I., we have an opportunity to edify their value, as they appear. In action this looks like using your platforms as industry leaders to amplify A.I. creators leading the way. A creative community that knows it is valued will press forward, continue to innovate, and we all win. 

“We’re also seeing the promise of democracy within the arts through technology,” hou.mon says. “And we’re only scratching the surface.”

In partnership with the Valentin Hauÿ Association, named for the founder of the first school for the blind (which educated Louis Braille), French optician group Optic 2000 has created “As Far As the Eye Can See.”

The work was conceived by Australie.GAD and consists of A.I. images created from the vivid memories of visually impaired people.

Each subject sat with photographer Marc Da Cunha Lopes and described a memory. Lopes then engaged A.I. software to tailor the resulting images for as much fidelity to the experience as possible.

It’s a compelling exercise, making prompts from the narrative filminess of an experience. Intense emotions surface—like the moment when, as a child, Paralympic medalist Trésor Makunda realized what he wanted to be. In the resulting image, a little boy and his mother appear in an ’80s-style kitchen. Sun pours through the window, and the woman’s arms are raised ecstatically, the boy’s head lifted toward her. Both have their backs turned to the camera.

“Any channel that allows me to transmit the best of myself to others is fundamental to me,” Makunda says of the campaign experience.

The images appeared in the gallery Atelier 13 Sévigné in Paris from April 5-8, raising awareness for each artist’s unique disability. Each featured braille translations of signage. An accompanying website provided audio descriptions. Proceeds from the works, which were put on sale afterward for $800 apiece, will go to the Valentin Hauÿ Association to provide cultural and sports activities for the blind and visually impaired. 

The agency hoped to demonstrate how A.I. can improve people’s lives when used responsibly. 

Click on each image to enlarge:

CREDITS

AUSTRALIE.GAD 
Co-president: Gilles Masson
Associate General Manager – Creation: Philippe Boucheron
Associate General Manager: Thierry Taglioni
Account Director: Margaux Gilles
Account Manager: Ulysse Boudot
Project Manager: Margot Charrier
Artistic Directors: Tom Camus, Guillaume Paulus, Charles Coussot
Copywriters: Tom Camus, Guillaume Paulus, Barthélémy Desplats
Digital Art Directors: Alix Chabagny, Quentin Sautour
Web Developer: Frédérique Devaux
Head of production: Thomas Laurent
Creative Producer: Jean-Luc Chirio
Photographer: Marc Da Cunha Lopes

Post-production: Firm
Sound Post-production: Plouf

LOVEBOAT CREDITS
Director: Nan Feix
Executive Producer: Marine Garnier

OPTIC 2000 CREDITS
Communications Director: Sandrine Ladoux
Advertising/External Communications Manager: Pierre Vinogradoff

VALENTIN HAÜY ASSOCIATION CREDITS
Communications Director: Emilie Lebre

MUSIC 
“Geist rouge” 
Composed by Flavien Berger 
Extract from “Tout le Monde Aime Jeanne” (Film soundtrack) 
Les Films du Worso exclusively licensed by Pan European Recording 
Edited by Les Films du Worso / Rêverie 

It’s unlikely that A.I. will take your place in advertising or any creative industry anytime soon. But one thing’s clear—it helped make a helluva memorable campaign for Georgetown Optician!

Design Army worked with A.I. (or did A.I. team up with Design Army?) to create “Adventures in A-EYE” for the D.C.-based eyewear chain’s latest new store opening.

The work is running on Instagram, with elements appearing in stores and as window displays. A project video rocks the vibe of an old-timey yet elevated sci-fi movie that wouldn’t seem out of place on an installment of Svengoolie. Who are Eyesaih, Eyereen and Eyesaac? Where is their beautiful pink planet? Where’s Eyeleen? It does not compute!

“How do we make opticians sexy?” akas Pum Lefebure, co-founder and CCO of Design Army. “Georgetown Optician is already known as a one-stop shop for eye care, as well as the latest trends in eyewear retailer but since Covid there’s not been a lot of eyes on the brand. We concepted a bizarro storyline about distant travelers visiting a planet to see the unseen. The Eyeliens (aka Giant Eyeball) are native the planet, but to live on this land rife with harsh environmental conditions, they must wear glasses to protect the eye. The A.I. approach allowed us to create a campaign in just one month and will allow us to change up the campaign seasonally and keep it fresh.”

Click images to enlarge:

Lefebure began experimenting with A.I. last year and used MidJourney for the Georgetown Optician project. Eyewear was added in post-production leaving viewers eyeballing a futuristic past combined with stylish, modern, present-day.

“For keywords, we had to experiment with a ton of them until the formula was getting consistent, especially to create the human visitors,” Lefebure tells Muse. “And the beloved giant eyeballs were a little tricky to get right as we wanted them to be quirky and whimsical—not evil or scary. We drew upon sci-fi and movie stars from the 60s for many of the character finishes but spiced them up with pink safari spacesuits with a dash of Comme Des Garcons. The great thing about AI is there your prompt doesn’t need to make sense. The weirder the better.”