Do AIs Dream of Driving?

Thanks to the power of artificial intelligence, we live in an age where knowledge is instant and accessible to everyone. But can you truly ‘know’ something without feeling it? That’s the fundamental question posed by luxury auto brand Maserati in a thought-provoking campaign, Do AIs Dream of Driving?

Created by independent creative agency DUDE and produced by innovation specialists FM, the AI-generated film aims to celebrate Maserati’s uniquely human experience behind the horsepower - by showing us that while intelligence can become artificial, emotions don’t.

Launching today across Maserati’s social channels, Do AIs Dream of Driving? tells the story of the brand’s greatest engine, the Nettuno - designed and built entirely by Maserati in its facility in Modena, Italy - from an unexpected perspective.

The 60-second film opens in a futuristic setting, where a man named Leonardo describes the Nettuno with perfect technical accuracy, from its 630-horsepower capability to its innovative combustion. But this is no Maserati superfan - Leonardo is an advanced AI, with a deeply human emotion: frustration. Although ‘he’ can process every fact, blueprint and part that makes the engine a masterpiece of Italian engineering, there is one thing ‘he’ will never experience: how it feels to drive, from the roar of the engine to the scent of burning tyres. As the action cuts between the glitching AI and exhilarating shots of Maseratis on the road, it’s clear that the only way to really know a Maserati is to drive one.

From a creative point of view, artificial intelligence was integrated into the heart of the concept as a creative choice that served the storytelling, rather than a shortcut.

Post-production studio and AI specialist Studio FM brought the idea to life with a realistic look that intentionally preserved a few subtly disorientating details. The protagonist was selected through a traditional casting process and compensated for the use of both their image and their digital twin, generated using AI technologies. The setting and styling were also artificially created, based on an extensive visual research process shared between the creative team and the brand.

All phases of the project - from casting and direction to post-production - were carried out by human professionals, in accordance with an ethical protocol developed by FM to ensure transparency, protect individual rights, and value creative work.

Do AIs Dream of Driving? will run globally on Maserati’s Instagram, Facebook and YouTube channels from today.