Cannes Lions 2016: Artistic intelligence

Cannes – Saatchi & Saatchi has released a music video created solely using artificial intelligence (AI).

• The work was conceived, directed and edited by AI with no creative input from advertising agency staff
• It was shown alongside 18 human-made entries without the audience knowing which one was created by machines

The work, shown at this year’s Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors’ Showcase in Cannes, was conceived, filmed and edited solely using AI. A range of technologies collaborated on its creation, including IBM Watson, Affectiva’s facial recognition software and Microsoft’s Rinna. The advertising agency’s staff had no creative control.

In an updated example of the Turing test, the work was shown alongside 18 human entries without the audience being informed which one was machine-made. The surname of the supposed director of the film, Anni Mathison, is a reference to Turing’s middle name.

‘There are lots of people chatting about AI,’ Andy Gulliman, worldwide film and content director at Saatchi & Saatchi, told Campaign. ‘But we have dived in and will be fully submerged. We want to be bold. We’re not going to keep the results in-house. We’re going to show it on the big screen, to a global audience, so we can work together to find out what the capabilities are.’