One City
Five Artists
Endless imagination
New York City is iconic for a reason. It’s a loud, overcrowded concrete jungle packed with ideas, characters, pizza rats, great delis, and everything in between. We set out to capture that unmistakable NYC energy, and make imagination feel tangible across the city.
A Single Prompt
It all started with one simple idea: “Imagine If…”
We invited five New York–based artists—one from each borough—with little to no experience using AI, and asked them to reimagine everyday life in New York City. After a series of hands-on workshops with Google DeepMind’s Flow, Veo 3, and Gemini, the artists got to work. They transformed their surreal ideas and playful inventions into vivid films—each in their own distinct style.
Handing the City the Joystick
Then we opened it up to the people who make New York what it is.
Through QR codes on MTA screens, thousands of New Yorkers submitted their own “Imagine if…” ideas. The artists selected their favorites, added their creative spin, and released new videos four weeks in a row—turning the campaign into a true collaboration with the city.
Making the city the canvas:
10,000+ screens, 4 weeks,
hundreds of videos
The work rolled out across 10,000+ MTA screens, 288 subway stations, and 12 train lines. New York became the canvas, and every screen was different.
The campaign ultimately culminated in a Times Square takeover, showcasing the artists’ work on one of the biggest stages in the world.
Showcasing Gemini’s superpowers
The goal was simple: show how Google Gemini’s AI tools can help bring imagination to life. And it delivered. New York’s subway screens became a living, breathing reflection of the city’s creativity.
With 132+ million impressions, we might have even sparked a few new urban inventions along the way.
