The machines have feelings now. Or at least, really good creative directors.

In recent weeks, we’ve seen AI’s biggest players swap product demos for cinematic ads that are taking a page from Apple’s emotional storytelling playbook.

OpenAI launched its largest-ever brand campaign showing how ChatGPT is useful in relatable, daily moments. Meanwhile, Anthropic has been busy positioning its chatbot Claude as the thinker of the group, even opening a physical space in New York. Back in March, Perplexity teamed up with Squid Game actor Lee Jung-jae to take a playful jab at Google.

With help from creative agencies like Mother, Isle of Any, and Sandwich, AI companies are putting a human face on their brands. But what does this strategy shift say about how they want to be perceived, and what do consumers really think?

ADWEEK’s brand editor Rebecca Stewart is joined by creativity editor Brittaney Kiefer and senior tech reporter Trishla Ostwal to discuss just that in the latest episode of Adspeak from ADWEEK.

“These brands have grown so fast that emotional storytelling is now essential,” said Kiefer. “It’s classic brand-building 101.”

You can listen to this week’s episode of Adspeak below.