Cautionary tales can be so sombre. This one, created by independent brand consultancy, Red & Co., data privacy and data governance company, Transcend, is fun.
The fun cautionary tale is called Pancakes. It warns about uncontrolled AI. The whimsical video features a central character, an executive in charge of launching an AI-based Yum Bot that generates breakfast recipes. What starts off as an innocuous, jovial demonstration of AI ability soon spirals out of control, as the Yum Bot begins offering a pancake recipe with bleach, resulting in disastrous and dangerous outcomes. Adding to the light-hearted tone and manner that makes it stand out, the commercial is animated – told in titles and a voiceover.
The campaign introduces Pathfinder, Transcend’s AI governance software – giving companies the technical guardrails to adopt new AI technologies with confidence. The commercial ends by directing viewers to the campaign website, transcend.io/ai, where they can sign up for the Pathfinder waitlist and learn more about Transcend’s approach to AI governance.
“In an already saturated market that keeps telling us the same old ‘dream the future with AI’ stories in a serious tone, this video has a more surprising and light-hearted approach while still introducing us to the real risks of enterprise AI,” stated Mira Kaddoura, founder & executive creative director of Red & Co. “Pancakes was inspired by real events that we uncovered in our research and it got us thinking…What is the funniest and memorable cost of not regulating AI?”
Beyond the video, which features animation, a custom-made soundtrack, and narrator, the campaign is designed to foster a broad conversation about the importance of AI governance. It encourages individuals, businesses, and governments to engage in discussions, share ideas and work towards creating an effective and ethical AI governance framework.
“When businesses use AI without code-level governance, they gamble with uncertainty – putting their data, IP, trade secrets, private information, reputation, and credibility on the line,” added Kate Parker, chief operating officer of Transcend. “For companies torn between behaving recklessly and moving too slowly to stay competitive, we believe Pathfinder is the key to using AI tools safely and responsibly.”
