Storytelling in the Age of AI Insights

Can everyone see my screen? Great. I’m going to talk about storytelling through technology, which I’ve been working on in various ways, both with agencies and through my personal work. It’s something I’m passionate about, and I’ve fortunately become known for. Today, I run an agency called Sounds Fun, where I serve as Chief Vision Officer and Chief Technical Officer, depending on the day and whom we’re working with. We’re a full-service agency that does a bit of everything, aiming to answer conventional marketing questions in unconventional ways.

**(00:40)**  

On Monday, I was at the Columbia School of Business speaking to a group of CMOs about the current technological moment we’re in. In conversations with clients, they often mention they’re waiting to put together an “AI brief” or “innovation brief.” But I tell them that all briefs are now essentially innovation briefs. We’re at a unique point where creativity and technology can be applied in entirely new ways, and we focus on doing that in unconventional forms. We’ve been fortunate to create what we call “the future,” with awards from D&AD, the Clios, and Cannes. Before going further, I’ll give a quick background on myself.

**(01:40)**  

I grew up in a small, conservative town on the tip of Africa. That’s my old high school with the military training, which I really disliked. I was rebellious, with the obligatory weird 90s hairstyle. That’s my brother; the numbers on top of his computer are from a case file when Interpol arrested him for hacking into Belgium’s phone network. Growing up in a “hacker house,” he ran a zero-day warez group where we messed with phone lines, downloaded software like the original Photoshop, and shared it through our bulletin board service in South Africa. My brother was drawn to the technical side, and I was fascinated by the social aspect—connecting with people through technology was magical. This experience influenced my work profoundly.

**(03:14)**  

Since then, I’ve worked in advertising, creating everything from monuments for brands like MINI, Levi’s, and Johnny Walker to unusual, outside-the-box art projects. Around the mid-2000s, blogs were popular, and I thought about how I could use them for creative storytelling. I started a project called “I Wrote This for You” with a photographer from Japan. He’d send me daily photos, and I’d write poems or short stories directed at readers. It unexpectedly gained a massive following, with people tattooing quotes on themselves, leading to a book deal, and even catching the attention of celebrities like Harry Styles and the British Royal Family.

**(05:29)**  

The project even attracted notable figures like Steven Spielberg, who quoted it in a speech. This journey with “I Wrote This for You” started simply by exploring how I could take a popular medium and subvert it. One of my favorite moments was a spat with LeAnn Rimes over a misquoted poem of mine that ended up in the Daily Mail. After that, I continued writing—one book often leads to another. I published a science fiction novel, “Intentional Dissonance,” and experimented with formats. For instance, I duplicated the text repeatedly, creating a loop that frustrated some readers, but I enjoyed it.

**(07:10)**  

During the Edward Snowden leaks, I created “25 Love Poems for the NSA.” Snowden’s documents included keywords that the NSA monitored, so I wrote poems using only those flagged words and distributed it as a free PDF for people to email. Each time I enter or exit the U.S., I half expect someone to bring it up. During the pandemic, I also wrote a children’s book explaining quarantine, which got translated into multiple languages and widely circulated.

**(08:15)**  

AI has always fascinated me, stemming from a story I read in my 20s about Richard Thear, an AI researcher. Inspired by the film “Flatliners,” he taught a neural network to sing Christmas carols, then shut down parts of it. As the AI deteriorated, it produced haunting lines like, “All men go to good earth in one eternal silent mind.” This experiment stuck with me. Eventually, I joined an AI startup called Copysmith, an early competitor to tools like Copy.ai. There, I realized AI could do more than just ad copy. I started experimenting by combining spiritual texts and created a prompt-based dialogue on themes like suffering, which became the book “What Makes Us Human,” now part of Malcolm Gladwell’s Next Big Idea Club.

**(10:48)**  

I’m drawn to exploring how technology can be creatively misused. I worked on “Fragments of Sappho,” where I used AI to complete the fragments of ancient poems by the poet Sappho. Each project is about finding new ways to break and repurpose technology. Eventually, Vice Media approached me for several projects, leading me to join their internal creative studio, Virtue, as the Global Head of Innovation and a Creative Director on Coca-Cola. I helped develop Coca-Cola Creations, a limited-edition product line focused on innovation and culture.

**(12:05)**  

Developing new Coca-Cola flavors was like playing drums with Phil Collins—an incredible experience. Here’s a quick video showing some of our work. In a market flooded with choices, we needed a way to make Coca-Cola stand out for young people. We created limited-edition products and connected each launch to an immersive experience—an augmented reality concert, virtual wearables, or even a Coke that “tasted like space.” We built an entire universe around each launch, which resulted in increased brand love and sales. 

**(14:46)**  

For each launch, we tied in some form of innovation—whether it was augmented reality, virtual wearables, or collaborations with platforms like Niantic. We even created a League of Legends collaboration where gamers could scan their faces and insert themselves into our campaign assets, creating a personalized experience.

**(17:27)**  

Another significant project was “Backup Ukraine.” We collaborated with Polycam, a 3D scanning app, to allow Ukrainians to digitally preserve cultural monuments threatened by war. When Russia invaded, UNESCO expressed grave concern over cultural destruction, so we developed a solution to scan these monuments and protect them digitally. The app became a tool for Ukrainians to safeguard their heritage.

**(19:25)**  

About a year ago, I left Vice and co-founded Sounds Fun with other former Vice colleagues. Since then, we’ve worked with Intel, Microsoft, and several fashion brands, focusing on how technology can unlock culture in powerful ways. Recently, we worked with Intel and Microsoft to create “The Art of AI” at Microsoft Ignite, featuring AI-driven art experiences that responded to participants. One artist, Alexander Reben, built a sculpture that transformed spoken words into haikus, while another created a generative AI cityscape that adapted based on the crowd.

**(21:56)**  

We’ve also partnered with startups like Trellis, which is developing AI-driven tools to enhance the reading experience. One project, Bespoke, is a generative podcast app that lets users specify a topic and time limit, then generates a personalized audio experience. Another project with the Gerin Institute involves building a “time machine” that captures your personality and thoughts for future generations to interact with, preserved in glass designed to last a billion years.

**(24:38)**  

Currently, many of our conversations with clients revolve around responsible AI innovation. We encourage brands to be culturally sensitive and strategic, especially given the risks of public missteps with this technology. For example, we created an AI chatbot invite for events, which playfully went rogue. We also use these projects to explore the ethical dimensions of AI, emphasizing consent and transparency.

**(26:28)**  

At Columbia, many speakers described this as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” My guiding principle is to focus on what we can do with AI that was never possible before, rather than simply optimizing existing processes. AI offers enormous efficiency benefits, but it’s also an opportunity to create entirely new experiences. 

**(28:06)**  

Thank you. I know the Ukraine piece was especially moving for many, as it showed how technology can be used as a force for good. Some reactions, though, pointed out the contrast between social impact work and selling more consumer products. In marketing, we often focus on selling, but there’s still room for meaningful impact. At the end of the day, though, most of us are here to sell products, whether soda, toothpaste, or mouthwash, and it’s about steering brands responsibly within those boundaries.

**(29:27)**  

I don’t want to give the impression that I’m overly selective with projects. I’ve done my share of more routine work—brochures, infomercials, and everything in between. While I do have some moral sensibility in my choices, I think we’re all trying to make a living. I believe marketers often get a bad rap, but we can each contribute in our own way to create meaningful cultural connections.

**(31:20)**  

A great point was made at the Columbia conference with the reminder that “we’re here to sell beer,” which Anheuser-Busch displays prominently to ground their brand. No matter how creative or complex our work gets, we’re here to sell products and create emotional connections, whether through automated ads or immersive experiences.

**(32:29)**  

For CMOs, AI offers potential beyond just marketing, allowing for new ways to engage customers and even operationalize aspects of the business. An example is the AI community created around rapper Nicki Minaj. This kind of engagement shows how AI can deepen cultural connections, something that excites me about working in this

 field.

**(33:41)**  

AI has a mixed reputation, with some campaigns like Dove’s criticizing AI’s role in perpetuating unrealistic beauty standards. But it’s important to highlight AI’s potential when applied thoughtfully. We’re currently working on a proposal with Human Rights Watch, which could be a good opportunity to showcase AI’s positive impact.

**(34:57)**  

Regarding creative jobs, I’m neither a cynic nor an idealist. AI is already impacting copywriting roles, as some of my friends in the field are feeling the squeeze. However, AI also enables small teams to achieve large-scale work, which is exciting for business and creativity. AI is a transformative tool, but it needs to be managed with realistic expectations.

**(36:44)**  

At Sounds Fun, our team is small, with just four of us and a network of partners and suppliers. The tools we use, like ChatGPT and Midjourney, allow us to be efficient and deliver high-quality work for both big and small brands. Smaller brands can achieve great things with AI, as long as they’re willing to be bold and culturally relevant.

**(39:02)**  

A story that inspired me was about a neural network trained to sing Christmas carols, which produced an original phrase as it “died.” I don’t believe AI itself is creative, but it can mimic creativity effectively. The best results come when humans bring their own insights and creativity to the tool, making it a collaborative process.

**(42:17)**  

I often tell clients that while AI can produce a first draft, true understanding and creativity come from human refinement. As tools improve, AI will allow us to cover creative ground faster, enabling us to try many ideas. But I wouldn’t present AI-generated content unless it’s perfect, so we still rely on animators and directors to bring everything together.

**(47:16)**  

In today’s fragmented digital culture, where there is no longer a single digital town square, brands need to reach audiences creatively and be willing to step out of their comfort zones. The Coca-Cola campaign’s use of a hand-drawn logo was a bold step, demonstrating how AI can help brands re-evaluate their assets in a fast-evolving culture.