Around the World in 80,000 km

What would the sequel to one of the greatest classics of world literature be like if it took place in 2024, in a new reality, but with all the elements of adventure, drama, language and characteristics that made the original story an absolute success? By combining Jules Verne's unique style, human creativity and the possibilities brought by Artificial Intelligence, the answer had materialized in “Around the World in 80,000 km”.

The project brings to the present day the plot of “Around the World in 80 Days”, published in 1873 by Verne. To arrive at the new plot, the original book and other texts by the French author were used to train ChatGPT with its style and language. Then, prompts carefully thought out by a team of experts helped to write chapter by chapter based on a new scenario, designed to begin in Brazil and follow a narrative inspired by the original, but with elements adapted to the current times.

“The book tells an unprecedented story based on the essence of one of Jules Verne’s greatest classics. Everything was designed and executed so that literature fans would feel as if they were actually reading a recently released work by the author, but in a modern setting, with new characters and the necessary adaptations to ensure an interesting and well-structured plot,” highlights Leandro Ramiro, Head of Marketing for South America at Continental Tires – responsible for the implementation and launch of the project.

With entirely editorial content, featuring only brief and contextualized quotes from the brand within the plot, the initiative was developed as a special way to celebrate Continental’s latest launch: the UltraContact, an ultra-durable tire with the most advanced German technology and the only one to offer an 80,000 km warranty. “We found in this centennial classic, released just two years after the birth of Continental – in 1871 – an inspiring narrative to be rethought within the current context and which naturally brings a very strong connection with what we want to tell about our launch”, adds Rodrigo Bonilha, vice-president of Continental Tires for South America.

The story
In the original book, Phileas Fogg, a meticulous British gentleman, bets his fortune claiming that it is possible to travel around the world in just 80 days, and so embarks on an epic journey. “Around the World in 80,000 km” introduces Phileas Fogg V, the great-great-grandson of Verne’s protagonist, who is also encouraged by a bet to undertake an audacious trip around the planet, showing that it is possible to travel 80 thousand kilometers by car without changing the tires. During the adventure, in which Fogg V gains companions such as the Uruguayan helper Lionel Palacios and the Ecuadorian biologist Valentina Aguilar, numerous challenges arise, among them the relentless pursuit of investigator Alfredo Freitas, who suspects that the central character is involved in illicit activities.

The journey begins in São Paulo and passes through a series of landscapes and tourist attractions, such as Maracanã, in Rio de Janeiro; the Church of Senhor do Bonfim, in Salvador; the Lençóis Maranhenses; and Foz do Iguaçu, in Brazil. They also travel long distances and across several continents, crossing destinations such as Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia and Panama, in Latin America; Mexico and the United States, in North America; Portugal, Spain, Germany and Russia, in Europe; Morocco and Egypt, in Africa; Saudi Arabia, Dubai and India, in Asia, among others.

Despite using other means of transport during the journey for logistical reasons – always in a way that is meticulously adapted to the story –, the 80 thousand km recorded only consider the distances traveled by car – as stated in Fogg V's bet with his colleagues.

To bring the story to life, exclusive illustrations were also developed for each chapter, according to its context. In contrast to the use of AI in the writing, all the images were created by human talents, signed by designers and art directors from D'OM, the agency responsible for creating and implementing the project for Continental – and which also had the collaboration of Ariadna, the Ecuadorian operation responsible for serving Continental in Latin America.

“This work was only possible thanks to the ideal combination of human creativity and the incredible capacity that Artificial Intelligence offers us to enhance what we think. In this project, we provided our detailed instructions and the context of each character and each stage of the journey to the AI, receiving material back in a much more agile and native way, following the style of Jules Verne’s original book. Then, we finished with the review and editing done by people who bring together the necessary expertise to make the text truly an interesting and exciting literary work,” explains Filipe Cuvero, founding partner and creative leader of D’OM.

For everyone
“Around the World in 80,000 km” has a special limited physical edition and will not be sold directly, distributed to literary critics, influencers, brand partners and selected institutions – including the Biblioteca Nacional (Brazilian National Library, at Rio de Janeiro). In addition, Brazilian literature fans have competed for printed volumes through a special campaign held on the social networks of @continentalpneus.

To make the work accessible to everyone, the book is also available for download, free of charge, on a hotsite on the Continental portal in Portuguese and English (soon); and was transformed into an audiobook, accessible even through voice assistants, such as Alexa (Portuguese only).