Project VOICE: Empowering Self-Expression Through AI
Brief:
To help people with speech and movement impairments, such as those caused by conditions like ALS, express themselves more easily and freely.
Challenge:
Project VOICE was an early-stage research initiative developed by a volunteer team of Googlers. The core technology, which uses Gemini's advanced predictive text to reduce the number of inputs needed for communication, was powerful but abstract. The challenge was to demonstrate its profound, real-world potential in a way that was emotionally resonant and easily understood by a global audience.
Project VOICE intelligently anticipates a user's intended words and phrases, dramatically reducing the number of inputs required.
The Idea & Execution:
The solution was to tell a deeply human story. As Creative Director, I guided the strategy to showcase the technology through a short documentary film. We centered the narrative on Akari, one of the project's early testers, documenting her personal journey.
The film showcases how Project VOICE's intelligent word and phrase prediction results in smoother, faster, and more natural conversations. A key moment captures Akari-san achieving a personal dream: using the technology to interview her hero, Japanese baseball star Koji Chikamoto. This powerful scene served as the ultimate proof of concept, moving beyond technical specs to demonstrate the project's ability to restore connection and unlock human potential.
Impact & Honors:
The project and film received an overwhelmingly positive response, validating the concept and reinforcing Google's commitment to "AI for Everyone."
Significant Organic Reach: The documentary achieved over 53,000 views in its first week with a 99.8% positive reaction rate (👍), a remarkable engagement level for the channel.
Industry Recognition: Awarded a Bronze Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
My Role:
As Creative Director, I was brought into this volunteer-led initiative by my collaborators from Project Guideline. My responsibility was to define the narrative and creative strategy for showcasing the project. I led the concept to tell Akari's story, directing the vision for the documentary film to demonstrate the technology's impact through an authentic, human lens.
