AI at Cannes—5 ways the technology has shown up on the Croisette

For the second year in a row, AI is everywhere at Cannes—with major developments in the quickly growing space fueling new possibilities for advertisers. Agencies and tech companies are touting some of these new offerings, but while brands are enticed, AI fatigue is also in evidence on the Croisette. Meanwhile, top dogs in the AI field, including OpenAI and Elon Musk, have made appearances alongside chief marketers—indicating that AI and advertising could be poised for a deeper relationship. And now that brands have had sufficient time to use AI to develop actual ads, the technology has found itself in this year’s winner circle, helping to secure Grand Prix awards in categories from media to entertainment. Cannes Lions coverage See all of the Grand Prix winners here Top 5 Grand Prix campaigns Here are five ways that AI has shown up at Cannes 2024. OpenAI makes an appearance If the advertising world was looking for an acknowledgment from the top dogs of AI, it got one. Mira Murati, OpenAI’s chief technology officer, sat for a fireside discussion on Monday with Accenture Song CEO David Droga. The conversation, which took place at the Palais’ Debussy Theater, covered the intersection of AI and creativity, touching on topics from job displacement at the hands of automation to the incomplete ways that brands are using the technology. OpenAI has, to this point, been somewhat elusive to the ad industry, refraining from airing big-time campaigns of its own while remaining ultra-selective about its official partnerships with marketers. In March, a quote surfaced in which CEO Sam Altman offered a rare and ominous perspective on how artificial general intelligence—the holy grail in OpenAI’s pursuit of progress—would shake up advertising: “95% of what marketers use agencies, strategists and creative professionals for today will easily, nearly instantly and at almost no cost be handled by the AI,” he said. More AI news: Why an AI marketing platform hired its first CMO Agencies go ballistic with AI offerings As expected, ad agencies have been quite vocal at Cannes about their forthcoming AI efforts. Leading the pack is Havas, which announced it will invest 400 million euros, or more than $428 million, in the technology over the next four years. Chairman-CEO Yannick Bolloré made the announcement at a press conference on Tuesday, amid rumors that Havas could be spun off from parent company Vivendi. WPP, which previously announced its own multimillion-dollar investment in AI, rolled out Production Studio, an AI-powered system for streamlining content creation, including 3D product models. The system is incorporated within WPP’s larger AI hub, Open, and leverages technology enabled through a partnership with Nvidia. The holding company also announced an AI solution for B2B marketers, in partnership with IBM. And Media.Monks launched AI tools developed alongside Adobe, including Brand Model Practice, which uses Adobe GenStudio to develop customized AI-generated content systems for brands. AI also draws some criticism If you’re unsurprised, and perhaps even irked, by agencies spouting all things AI at Cannes, you aren’t the only one. Tinx, a lifestyle and dating influencer with more than a million followers on TikTok, voiced her frustration with the technology and its use by brands in a panel with Ad Age on Monday. “I’m terrified of AI,” she said. “If I could snap my fingers, I’d shut it all down right now.” “I hate AI.” Influencer Tinx didn’t hold back during our panel on the @vayner_x yacht earlier today. #CannesLions2024 #AdAgeCannes pic.twitter.com/tUpXziRvtx— Ad Age (@adage) June 17, 2024 AI evangelism at Cannes was receiving criticism even before the festival officially kicked off. Publicis launched a tongue-in-cheek app meant to be a detector for AI bulls*** spreading through Cannes. The “BSbot” was accompanied by an AI sing-along video compiling AI evangelism from various tech and marketing executives. While the video included some footage of Publicis’ own execs, the ad giant neglected to admit the degree to which it is participating in the oversaturation of AI-related efforts. Publicis in January launched an AI hub called CoreAI, explaining in an hour-long video how the system will completely transform its business and that of clients. The company is also spending a lot of time at Cannes showcasing its AI solutions in closed-door meetings. Let’s hope no one brings along their BSbots. AI campaigns nab Grand Prix Awards Another way that AI has shown up at this year’s Cannes is by winning the awards themselves. “WoMen’s Football,” a two-minute spot created by Paris-based agency Marcel for French telecom Orange, won the Entertainment Lion for Sport Grand Prix and is a favorite to win more awards through the week. The ad uses deepfake technology to force viewers to confront their biases about women’s sports. Marcel’s three top leaders spoke with Ad Age at Cannes about the spot’s success and the value that AI brought to the creation process. “I think we can thank AI for inspiring this idea because maybe before we would have been in a mode to say, ‘No, that’s impossible to do,’” said Gaëtan du Peloux, co-CEO and co-chief creative officer of the Publicis-owned agency. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ad Age (@adage) Another big winner that got help from AI is Mercado Libre’s “Handshake Hunt,” which nabbed the Media Grand Prix. The e-commerce and financial tech company worked with Brazilian TV network Globo TV to scan media using AI so that whenever a handshake—Mercado Libre’s logo—appeared on a viewer’s screen, a QR code would pop up linking to a Black Friday deal. Tech companies time rollouts with Cannes Agencies aren’t the only companies touting AI use cases. Tech giants, including social media platforms, have been using Cannes as a launching pad for AI-powered ad tools. TikTok on Monday rolled out an AI feature—criticized by Tinx—for creators and brands that allows them to generate avatars to ramp up production on the app. Amazon Ads on Tuesday revealed updates to its image generator that improved capabilities for optimizing AI-generated creative for different ad placements. The announcement was not technically made at Cannes, but its timeliness with the festival is doubtfully a coincidence, especially given its large presence on the Croisette via Amazon Port. Pinterest this week is highlighting in conversations with brands its new experimental marketing program, which combines its focus on personalization with generative AI. Lastly, even X—formerly Twitter—is having discussions on AI with marketers. Elon Musk made a brief but busy appearance at Cannes on Wednesday, speaking with WPP CEO Mark Read in a fireside chat before meeting in a closed-door session with a handful of CMOs. The conversation focused on bringing advertisers back to X, but it also touched on AI, sources told Ad Age.

AI at Cannes—5 ways the technology has shown up on the Croisette

Featured Stories