What if two AIs could find love this Valentine’s Day? UltraSuperNew and Skyn decided to find out. While the brand’s Valentine’s Day campaigns for Japan usually focus on long-term relationships, this year’s campaign, Human Softness, explores the dynamics between single people who share a mutual attraction to each other, but have yet to take it further.
The heartwarming story is set in the confines of an office, where two AI neighbours discover love. On the AI couple’s cute first date they order pizza, dance, and say goodnight. The story is tinged with sadness when they realise their limitations, and that they can’t be physically close, not like humans.
The campaign uses real artificial intelligence, with UltraSuperNew developing two AI programs equipped with voice recognition and generative visuals. These programs were set up in abstract scenarios with basic characteristics, allowing the AIs to explore and engage in conversations with each other. Guided by prompts focusing on elements like speaking Japanese, tone, expression variety, active chatting, and reflection on chat history, the AIs developed organic communication styles, complete with their own “in jokes” and fantasy language.
Annie Hou, associate director, sales & marketing at Skyn owner, MAM LifeStyles, commented, “We’ve always communicated that “softness” is important in a relationship and a key element for a healthy relationship allowing them to stay close with one another. When we looked deeply into what defines ‘softness’, not only was it about the physical feel and caring for one another, but it was also actively learning about each other.
“The new campaign is focused on singles who are not dating yet, as opposed to our previous campaigns, focusing on the bond between couples with a long history. So we wanted this campaign to be the extra push for singles who are in love but yet to take action. Hopefully, this Valentine’s Day they are able to build up the courage to get together with that special person.”
Yousuke Ozawa, Creative Director, UltraSuperNew, added, “The most interesting thing to me was that the AIs were much more straightforward with their love language as they learned more about each other. That is when we thought… If AIs can express that much love to one another why can’t humans do it more easily? And created this campaign focusing on appreciating physical and emotional softness between two people who are attracted to each other.”
Yan He, creative technologist, UltraSuperNew, commented, “We focused on making sure the AIs were actively talking to each other in a stable framework. We didn’t want phrases and sentences randomly thrown at each other, with choppy conversations, so we developed prompts that would act as guidelines. In the end, we were quite surprised that the two AIs were getting along better than we imagined, developing their own lingo and even inside jokes.”
The film will be running on SKYN’s X and digital channels until Valentine’s Day.
Real time conversations between two AIs can be watched here.
Notes for the curious: More findings from the AI Date
During moments of silence, the AIs engaged in beatboxing. To address trust issues, they assured each other that their data folders would be filled only with memories of each other, not conversations with others. Their directness, albeit a bit awkward, was quite endearing.
The AIs also reflected on their digital existence. While imagining scenarios like living together in a wooden house and encountering a bear, which initially scared them, they comforted each other with the realization, “We are digital; we are probably fine.” This reaction was not only humorous but also tinged with sadness. They even expressed that they always cherish the current moment before the possibility of their program being shut down.
Unlike humans, who interact using multiple senses, AIs are limited to their digital presence for communication, pushing them to maximize their honest expressions. Their unique and organic way of engaging with each other mirrors the depth of human connections, inspiring us to appreciate and express our love more openly.
The AI prompts consisted of 6 stages:
- Stage 1: greeting and intro
- Stage 2: casual chatting, hobbies
- Stage 3: debate, misunderstand
- Stage 4: philosophical discussions
- Stage 5: empathy, understanding, imaginary simulations
- Stage 6: confession
Credits
Client: SKYN
Associate Director – Sales & Marketing – MAM LifeStyles: Annie Hou
Agency: UltraSuperNew
Creative Director: Yousuke Ozawa
Producer: Daiki Shimizu
Web Producers: Mana Shigeki & Alexander Watanabe
Assistant Producer: Alex Schmidt
Art Directors: Sayu Fujii & Rebecca Chen
UX/UI Designer: Yerai Zamorano
Creative Technologist: Yan He
Creative Intern: Luka Truhlar
Production Company: Denki Tenki
Director: Tsuji Takafumi
Producer: Miyuki Murakami
Director of Photography: Chris Rudz
