ChatGPT’s first brand campaign skips the sci-fi and goes straight for the feels

For its first brand campaign, ChatGPT sidesteps glossy futurism in favor of something more cinematic and human.

Created by Isle of Any and shot on 35mm by Smuggler’s Miles Jay, the spots feel like the final scene of a film: prompts as dialogue, answers as rolling credits.

It’s a lo-fi, tactile take on tech that captures small moments (like planning a trip or finishing a workout) and reframes them as quietly epic.

Based on real use cases, each film centers a different character, with the prompt-response pairing acting as a fast sketch of personality and backstory.

Music choices like Perfume Genius’ “Fool” and Neil Diamond’s “Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show” heighten the cinematic tone, while single takes and film stock keep things grounded.

“We wanted these small moments to feel elevated,” say Isle of Any founders Laurie Howell and Toby Treyer-Evans, whose recent work includes The New York Times. “Like being dropped into a final movie scene.”

OpenAI’s internal creative team didn’t just oversee they used ChatGPT to help co-create, generating character ideas and concepts. “At OpenAI, creativity is a team sport,” says Zach Stubenvoll, executive creative director.

The campaign is running across TV, streaming, outdoor, and social in the US, UK, and Ireland, with placements like Piccadilly Lights and NFL primetime.

For OpenAI’s international marketing director Elke Karskens, it’s about showing the “everyday magic” of AI. “The most powerful stories come directly from how people experience ChatGPT,” she says.

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