AI Fills in the Blanks About Stolen Cultural Treasures—and More Highlights From Europe

Plus: Carlos Alcaraz sucks at golf

DDB Paris and UNESCO have created the Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects. The culmination of five years of collaborative effort to raise awareness around cultural object trafficking, the project introduces you to various such objects in a museum-style setting. The rub: Nobody knows what these items actually look like, so AI was used to fill in the imaginary blanks, making the most of whatever descriptions exist. The hope is that one day these objects will be identified and returned to their rightful cultures. Let us pray.

We’ve often wondered what James Bond was like before he was amazing at everything. Surely he had to learn Mandarin and helicopter piloting? What was it like to be 007 and suck at something, at least at first?

We may never know, but BETC Paris gives you the chance to see tennis star Carlos Alcaraz sucking valiantly at golf. This is for Danone’s high-protein yogurt—Oikos in the U.S., HiPro in France, YoPro in Spain, GetPro in the UK. We’re getting war flashbacks to when Michael Jordan tried his hand at baseball, also valiantly.

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In a bid to grab some of that sweet Gen Z cash, CASS (Current Account Switch Service) has released two music videos that feel like singles releases rather than financial services ads. Created by House 337 in London, the first of these is by Libby Whitehouse, titled “Switching It Up.” It’s very Britney Spears around the Lucky era. If that’s not your vibe, try country-style “Switch” by Keanan, which feels like it was shot in Westworld.

Author’s Note: After 7 years in the Muse stables, I once again set off into Choose Your Own Adventure territory. Thank you for following my pen, doubly (and triply) so if you’ve followed it from the Adweek, Adrants and MarketingVOX days. Do well, always ask that extra question, try not to let bad work out the door—and if you have to, it’s not the end of the world, no matter what I might have said about it.