How Virgin Voyages is using A.I. — and a partnership with J. Lo — to boost bookings

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Cruise line Virgin Voyages is betting big on its recently launched campaign starring J. Lo — and her digital twin, "Jen AI." It starts with a commercial, featuring Jennifer Lopez riffing off artificial intelligence. The spot showcases "Jen AI" experiencing a hilarious malfunction, inadvertently unveiling her true identity: a guy named Kyle. But the campaign doesn't end there. Virgin Voyages digitally mimics the superstar's voice and appearance, with the help of generative artificial intelligence, to allow customers the chance to customize an invitation to book a cruise they can send to friends or family. "It did require a substantial financial investment, but we are already seeing it pay off," Virgin Voyages Global Brand and Experience Strategy Director Billy Bohan Chinique told CNBC. Though he declined to disclose exact figures, he said the campaign's budget was on par with what a brand typically allocates for a Super Bowl advertisement, amounting to millions of dollars. The campaign comes at a time when cruise tourism is showing remarkable signs of a recovery post-pandemic, bouncing back at a faster rate than international travel as a whole. According to Cruise Lines International Association, approximately 31.5 million cruise passengers are expected to travel this year, surpassing 2019 levels.