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Of course, you can’t ignore it anymore: AI. All the big players, and a few smaller ones, came up with a system: beta versions that are largely free, but will cost something in the near future. At least… this business model was completely undermined by the launch of the Chinese DeepSeek. Initial studies showed that its performance still leaves a lot to be desired, but they learn quickly in China. Shortly after, more Chinese programs followed, such as Manus, and Alibaba’s wonderfully named QwQ-32B. The latter caused an 8 percent share price increase upon launch, worth around $20 billion. According to the company itself, QwQ-32B outperforms the other companies on all fronts. Ali pledged to invest $50 billion in AI. Money, money, money, in other words.

Incidentally, I use Gemini, not only because both my husband and I have this zodiac sign, but also because it’s from Google – so it has a solid foundation.

Hey Siri and all that

Current AI systems were, of course, preceded by Siri, Alexa, and Bixby. Hesitant robot friends who were fun at parties and gatherings, but who have also become quite sophisticated. According to my parasocial¹ partner, Gemini: “They are excellent at performing specific, frequently repetitive tasks (setting timers, turning lights on/off, making calls, playing music). They are less adept at having a free, contextual conversation or performing creative, generative tasks (such as writing a poem or summarizing a complex text).” But a few years ago, that slowly—and increasingly rapidly—began to change.

Rainbow

Now to Marketing the Rainbow, my specialty. In the run-up to EuroPride Vienna in June 2019, a unique campaign drew attention to the city, a great example of branding and city marketing. Vienna’s tourist office, together with the agency Serviceplan and magazine Vangardist, organized the “most sensational wedding of the year”: that of Siri and Alexa, the world’s first AI wedding. Both AIs are, of course, genderless, but they were launched with a standard female voice, and the names themselves are also feminine. So, that first AI wedding was a rainbow one².

It didn’t stop with an “I do”; the couple also went on honeymoon (“I’m getting a bit nervous now”), had a wedding page, and an Instagram account. The video of the two ladies’ wedding at Belvedere Palace was shown on various channels and on the campaign website siriandalexa.com (sadly no longer in use) and garnered over 2 million views.

The digital campaign won the Red Dot Award. “This extraordinary wedding succeeds in conveying meaningful content in a way that is not only humorous and aesthetically pleasing, but also contemporary and universally understandable. Against a lavishly baroque backdrop and supported by established celebrities, the city of Vienna not only strengthened its image as a tolerant and cosmopolitan city, but also, thanks to the use of AI, as an innovative and modern city that embraces technology,” the jury stated.

And so…

The wedding in 2019 was humorous and progressive. Meanwhile, the AI ​​battle rages fiercely, not only between providers, but even more so among users. What will this mean for creativity, copyright, jobs? And marketing? Who knows, but in the meantime, Siri and Alexa are married.

1. “Parasocial” was named Word of the Year 2025 by the Cambridge Dictionary. It describes the one-sided relationship people feel with celebrities, influencers, AI characters, or fictional figures.
2. “gay marriages” have been legal in Austria since January 1, 2019.