In a poignant and innovative campaign, Ukraine has unveiled its first-ever AI Olympic team for the Paris Olympics, paying tribute to athletes who lost their lives in the ongoing war.
This groundbreaking initiative, created by TEAMBBDO and Brand Ukraine, honors six deceased Ukrainian athletes by bringing them to life as digital AI characters, allowing them to achieve their Olympic dreams posthumously.
“The Revived” was presented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine at an event in the Olympic Village in Paris. The film, highlighting the lives and aspirations of these athletes, is being shared across international platforms, with prominent brand ambassadors supporting the initiative. Using AI technology, the athletes were recreated from photos and videos provided by their families, resulting in lifelike digital representations that honor their memory and ambitions.
The campaign’s central figure is Maksym Halinichev, a young boxer who died on the front line in 2023 at the age of 22. Alongside him are five other athletes: Anastasiia Honcharova (cyclist), Fedir Iepifanov (fencer), Oleksandr Peleshenko (weightlifter), Mykyta Zasiadko (swimmer), and Mykola Zhydkov (footballer). With the consent of their families, these AI athletes share their personal stories, symbolically participating in the Olympic Games, which represents the culmination of their dreams. Watch below:
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Tim Makarov, head of content & digital at Brand Ukraine, emphasized the importance of this initiative in drawing attention to the ongoing impact of war. “We honor our fallen athletes respectfully and innovatively. Ukraine loses young and talented men and women every day due to the war. They might have become Olympic champions or Nobel Prize winners. That is why we created ‘The Revived’: We want to draw attention to the ongoing suffering,” he stated.
Frank Hahn, chief creative officer at TEAMBBDO, expressed the campaign’s message of peace, saying, “It is important to us that the Olympic Games also send a powerful message of peace. To this end, we used a unique AI technology that makes it possible to bring dead athletes back to life and tell their story in an extremely moving, credible, and emotional way.”
Inna Tabachenko, copywriter at BBDO Germany, added, “People hear a lot about the horrors of war, and sometimes the many reports can be numbing. We want to remind people that the Ukrainian victims are not just numbers – they are faces, voices, hearts, and dreams.”
The AI Olympic team serves as a powerful reminder of the human cost of war, transforming statistics into personal stories and emphasizing the enduring spirit of these athletes. By commemorating their dreams and aspirations, Ukraine’s initiative not only honors the fallen but also highlights the broader impact of conflict on sports and society.
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