Irish homelessness charity, Dublin Simon Community, has today launched a new brand film utilizing cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology, in a stated first for Ireland.
Created by advertising agency BBDO Dublin and New York-based mixed-media company LOBO (lobo.cx), the film entitled Unfair City is an advanced application of AI tech in animation, used to highlight the growing inequality of homelessness as Dublin Simon hopes to raise much-needed funds for such vulnerable people.
The film tells the story of Justin Cannon. Formerly homeless, Justin now advocates and volunteers for Dublin Simon. Justin was interviewed and his story was animated using AI image generators — in a way, crafting imagery in his own words. The result is a moving film that, surprisingly, shows how AI can facilitate authentic, human storytelling by protecting the narrator’s dignity and privacy.
Although the images are created with AI technology, using tools such as Midjourney and Disco Diffusion, human artists worked with the generated images to create the final watercolor effect. Unfair City was created in partnership with multi-award-winning director Diogo Kalil of LOBO and illustrator Vini Bustamante, who helped to fill the context around Justin’s words and shape the visual style of the film.
Dublin Simon shares that the project was born out of a desire to find new ways of highlighting the country’s homelessness crisis, a problem that has been getting steadily worse every year. It has become more challenging for charities to illustrate the impact and complex issues around homelessness and to inspire the public to offer help as the issue spirals out of control. It is also becoming ever more difficult and challenging for those who are homeless to tell their stories.
To help to increase levels of engagement, Dublin Simon deliberately utilized one of the most topical areas of technology, artificial intelligence, to create a film that would garner wider interest and appeal to a new audience of younger, more technologically-minded donors.
All work carried out by the advertising agency BBDO Dublin, director Diogo Kalil of LOBO and illustrator Vini Bustamante was completed on a pro-bono basis for Dublin Simon Community.
Visit dubsimon.ie/unfaircity to learn more and donate to Dublin Simon to aid vulnerable populations in the city and help ‘make Dublin Fair again.’
