This BMW iX3 video is all fake

Before we get into it, let me clarify that BMW created this pure AI video ad for the iX3 as an experiment. BMW Senior Vice President Bernd Kerber said this is “a way to understand what AI can do and, just as importantly, what it cannot do in product storytelling.” Let’s slam BMW for trying to pull a fast engine and cool the jets.

base trim engine: electricity
base trim transmission: single speed automatic
base trim drivetrain: all wheel drive
base trim horsepower: 469 horsepower
base trim torque: 475 lb-ft
0-60MPH: 4.7 seconds

Basically, the ad’s story is tongue-in-cheek, suggesting that the iX3’s range is enough for a driver to grow a beard in one stint in the desert. But Koerber also justifies the experiment by suggesting that “the bigger question is when to use generative AI and when not to use it.”

“There’s no camera. There’s no set. There’s no location.”

In this case, the clip is certainly smooth, but a little too long. And like all AI videos, it sits uncomfortably within the uncanny valley (where an almost human-looking entity evokes a sense of eeriness or creepiness in the viewer). However, we question this as an experiment, as anyone in the creative industry can tell you that generative AI should be used sparingly. For example, BMW could have actually filmed this clip, avoided the overall Uncanny Valley vibe, and used AI to grow the actors’ beards. But I digress.

Kerber continued in a social media post that BMW wanted to explore how generative AI can help translate product performance into emotional ideas that are simple, human, and intentionally understated. The problem is that AI, or machine learning as we call it by its real name, does not have the ability to be emotional or human. Although it can create duplicates by referencing and copying previous works labeled as human and emotional, it is not actually artificial intelligence. And this is something that Koebel also acknowledges.

“What I’ve learned from this experiment so far is that while AI is a powerful new tool, it cannot replace the value of human skills and ideas. Images may be generated, but the ideas, stories, and execution still come from humans.”

– Bernd Koerber, Head of Product Management, BMW Brand.

Like any technology before it, AI is reaching the peak of its promise in marketing before it loses its status as a useful tool. The best example to compare this to is 3D printing. This too was thought to replace the entire workforce and change the landscape of production as we know it. Although that didn’t happen, for the automotive industry it has actually become a very useful prototyping tool and a cost-effective way to produce short-run parts.

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AI is likely to move in a similar direction, and we’ve already seen it used to help engineers and designers collaborate, a long-standing problem in the automotive industry. At the same time, GM claims to be using AI to unleash “creativity.” GM designer Daniel Shapiro recently experimented with feeding a series of hand-drawn sketches of a futuristic Chevrolet concept into an AI tool. This resulted in several images and teaser animations showing the concept in 3D motion.

At least the iX3 still looks good

Koerber is fully transparent about the BMW iX3 clip being an AI experiment, but there is certainly another reason for its existence: advertising. The new iX3 is a hugely important vehicle for BMW, introducing a new design language that is a complete reboot of the automaker’s style in every sense of the word.

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car buzz I had an early chance to drive the SUV back in December, and found it to be nothing short of a revolutionary step for the German brand. Apart from its styling, the iX3 has a stylish interior that is attractive and easy to use. Even non-M trims deliver crisp performance. Its EPA range estimate of 400 miles also beats nearly every other product in this category.

So we don’t blame BMW if they think a little AI experimentation will help draw attention to the new iX3. It certainly became ours.