Saigon stage director tells details of the film ‘The Dove Code’, which presented AI-generated images of women with stereotypical beauty standards
A global Dove campaign created by the agency Soko highlights the film “The Dove Code”, which presents images of women with stereotypical beauty standards generated by artificial intelligence tools. However, the moment the AI is asked to create photos following Dove’s image repertoire, representations of women with real and inclusive beauty appear.
The film was produced by Saigon, directed by Juliana Curi and a team made up of Latina women. “With an intersectional approach, we assembled a team of female talents, bringing together, for example, LGBTQIAP+ women and black professionals in leadership positions, promoting a rich construction of subjectivities”, says the director. “The result is an authentic and sensitive film, even when the portraits are mostly AI-generated images,” she adds.
In the following interview, Juliana Curi talks about the challenges they had to face during the production of the campaign, the integration with artificial intelligence, inclusion, among other topics.
What was the biggest challenge you encountered working with AI-generated imagery for this campaign, and how did you overcome that challenge to ensure the film maintained its authenticity and sensitivity?
The main challenge when integrating artificial intelligence in this campaign was overcoming a first tendency I had to criticize this technology. AI, despite carrying urgent ethical issues that call for regulation – particularly in relation to female representation – is fundamentally a reflection of humanity. She learns based on notions of beauty that have been taught by centuries of toxic representations. Although we were committed to revealing disturbing data that demonstrated how years of oppression and unrealistic aesthetic standards shaped the imagery repertoire that today nourishes artificial intelligence, we were also determined to show how, throughout history, women managed to plant seeds of change that they prospered. Allied with brands like Dove, together we were able to develop a new set of images that represent real, positive and healthy beauty. By triggering this new vision in artificial intelligence through the Dove code, we were able to realize and celebrate this significant achievement. So, our challenge was to denounce and raise awareness, but also to be able to celebrate the irreversible achievements achieved over the years by feminist movements and allied brands like Dove.
How did the diversity and inclusion of the production team, especially the presence of LGBTQIAPN+ women and black professionals in leadership positions, influence the creative process and the final result of the film?
Including diverse perspectives in the creative process is not only ethically correct, it is also extremely effective. This leads to more innovative, creative, rich and representative results. In my practice, I consider the formation of a team with multiple perspectives as important as the final result itself. In this campaign, we count on the unconditional support of Soko and Dove to form the most plural team possible. The impact of this choice on the connection we establish with our audience is evident. Inclusion, especially the significant representation of LGBTQIAPN+ women and black professionals in leadership positions, where subjectivities are constructed, was crucial to this impact.
What impact do you hope “The Dove Code” will have on the beauty and advertising industry, especially in terms of promoting inclusivity and challenging stereotypical beauty standards?
We are facing a campaign with real social impact that addresses a very urgent topic for future generations. It is estimated that 90% of digital content will be produced by artificial intelligence in the coming years. The problem is significant: all you need to do is search for images of women on AI platforms to realize that beauty standards are more unattainable than ever. It’s no surprise that one in three girls say they would change their appearance because of the artificial beauty they see online. The launch of this campaign represents a historic milestone in the debate on diversity and inclusion in advertising.
What direction and production choices helped compose the campaign in accordance with the creative concept and what were the challenges?
Developing the campaign with Soko has been an incredible journey. My work is all focused on social impact narratives and I realize that, often, there is still resistance in our industry to recognizing that craft and sociocultural impact can coexist. I like to show in my films that projects with social impact deserve, more than any other, a high level of technical refinement, production and cinematographic value. These tools are valuable for connecting the public and delivering these important messages that help us continue to evolve as a society. When the project was presented to me, I saw that Felipe Simi and the entire Soko team shared this same desire, and the synergy was instantaneous. Our biggest challenge, I believe, was to weave a 100% real message with a high level of craftsmanship and aesthetic power, capable of involving the viewer on this journey. Therefore, our main challenge was to maintain a balance between these two aspects.
We defined as an initial parameter that the campaign should be approached with the authenticity of a documentary. For four months, we worked in partnership with The Mill in the United States to create images using artificial intelligence. This process was entirely faithful to the prompts we entered and this established the journalistic credibility of our approach from the beginning, a fundamental pillar of my work as well. With this foundation established, we began to enhance the narrative with good casting choices, a striking soundtrack, photography that speaks to emotions and editing that brought the craftsmanship, but without ever losing the protagonism of the truth behind the message of this campaign.
In your opinion, what is the importance of integrating social inclusion initiatives, such as Euetu Lab and Instituto Crie, into high-visibility projects like this, and how can this influence the Brazilian audiovisual industry in the long term?
I am a person who deeply believes in collective and social movements, or, as they are known in the United States, Grassroots Movements. For me, it is essential that our industry links its productions to affirmative education policies. It was with this desire that I co-founded the Euetu Lab in 2021. The Lab is a mentoring project that promotes the professional development of filmmakers from peripheral communities and regions of socioeconomic vulnerability. It makes us reflect: is my personal progress serving the progress of my community?
The success of the project was evident when the first class graduated in 2022, with six young people integrated into the job market and emerging as future leaders. This month, we formed a new class with six more talented young people. This way, each project I develop activates an important gear behind it. I feel that if each of us adopts this stance, we can, in fact, generate structural change in the market. Euetu Lab was so successful that we are expanding the project and will soon announce news about its operations and expansion.
