Situation: In 2023, AI was everywhere. But common narratives involved either extreme optimism or impending doom. The team at Google wanted to highlight the actual realities of AI, how it affects our world now, and how it might in the future—in a way that meaningfully reached senior decision makers.

Brief: Explore AI in a nuanced way that goes beyond binary headlines. Cover a broad range of topics, ideas, and opinions telling the bigger story of AI. Anchor the conversation in thought-provoking narrative and discussion, with surprising and delightful storytelling and visuals throughout. Create an evergreen asset to bring to in-person spaces and distribute at global events.

Objectives: Position Google as premier thought-leaders and experts in AI, reaching key opinion formers in business and policy. Increase Google’s association with AI in a trustworthy way; help Google approach industry leaders in a format that carries more gravitas than words on a screen.

Dialogues took the AI discussion offline—where opinions fly and tempers can run hot—to a format that invites engagement and conversation. A luxurious magazine-cum-end-table-book added gravity and longevity that asked that the reader take the contents seriously, and encourage them to engage with the magazine as an informative resource to be kept and shared.

The magazine took the long view on the technology, leveraging editorial expertise for historical context, examining the current moment, and providing thoughtful analysis on what’s to come. We anchored the magazine in seven essential questions shaping the conversation around AI, providing structure to guide readers through the issue. Through the 21 stories that filled out these chapters, we looked at how we arrived at this moment, considered how AI is reconfiguring life and work right now, and the future implications of today’s decisions.

The target was opinion leaders in the business and policy space focused on AI.

The creative direction was a high-quality print object for an exceptional audience. We paired premium print production and materials with top-class artwork and design that felt bright, inviting, and forward-facing. The final product has 136 uncoated pages in a 7”x9“ publication built around a 7-column grid, inspired by the magazine’s seven chapters. A glossy stock punctuates the creativity section and its vibrant imagery, while a spot gloss treatment and French flap elevate and add weight to the cover.

Portrait photography with a sense of place and illustrations with sharp details and a hand-drawn finish place human-centric storytelling in dialogue with the latest innovations of AI.

The typography and layouts were selected to add an air of academic credibility to the format, allowing for various content types like Q&As, opinion essays, creative features, and more to feel simultaneously unique and a part of a cohesive system.

The impact of the magazine was immediate and continues to create conversation. Initially distributed: 10,000 copies internationally by Google; 3,400 copies to Capitol Hill; 250 copies to Davos hotels at the 2024 World Economic Forum.

Digital campaign elements in support of Dialogues were very successful: 5.6M social impressions with CTRs 4-75x benchmark. 30,000 visits to the landing page, with 10% of visits downloading the magazine (10x the CTR). 8.3M ad impressions through digital ads and inclusion in a flagship newsletter, with CTRs 50-250% over benchmark. 500+ scans of a QR code, 9x the typical rate.

The result was visibility with the desired audience and engaging conversation across Google-hosted events and private roundtables. The execution was so effective that Google has renewed Dialogues for a second issue and expanded online and events presence in 2024.