General Motors
Hello Billy
Humanising technology to resonate with the community.
Insight
A fearless spirit that transcends time and technology.
In 1908, William C. Durant transformed the future of the automotive industry, and the world, with the creation of GM. Decades later, his fearless spirit continues to lead the way and inspires the establishment of the Durant Guild in China.
In this new age of synthetic creativity, which has undeniably augmented its way into our everyday lives, GM is no stranger to this technology evolution continuum. Fearless with the drive to innovate, while impacting communities for the future, the Durant Guild by GM needs a familiar voice that all in the community can connect to before its iconic import products arrive in market. And for that reason, Billy is born — inspired by founder William C. Durant, it is synthesised to be confident, knowledgeable and, most importantly, human.
Idea
Hello! I’m Billy.
As part of the Durant House event, AKQA launched the Hello Billy multi-sensory immersive experience that introduced the vision of Voice of Billy, your future AI ally in the community. For the first time, guests learned about the inspiration behind Billy, and can interact and contribute to the future of Billy through their voice, sight and touch.
In this 6m x 6m futuristic holographic space, Billy’s dynamic voice visualisation is projected onto a circular, double-layered mesh wall, immersing visitors in Voice of Billy. Scanning a QR code activates Billy’s friendly, confident voice through headphones. The mesh wall’s built-in motion sensors trigger tactile audiovisual interaction when visitors touch it to connect with Billy.
As Billy invites visitors to share what fearless means to them, voice recognition combined with touch triggers secondary light projections from their hands, and see their thoughts connect with the heart of Voice of Billy. As visitors open their hands in front of the wordfall, a Kinect sensor detects the gesture and enables fearless keywords to flow into the palm, catching a fearless spirit as a parting gift.
Impact
Say hello to a new friend.
Across two exclusive events, Billy has met thousands of new friends, conversed with 76% of them, and 100% interacted through touch. Hello Billy is just the beginning. Voice of Billy will continue to evolve with the community to become a trusted partner in the future.
Voice of Billy is a tribute to William Durant’s fearless spirit and vision of innovation. We’re excited to bring it to life in partnership with AKQA in this immersive experience that harmonises humanity and technology, giving visitors a chance to hear our vision and contribute to the spirit of the community.
