Is it innovation using AI to create and manufacture the world's best artwork? To prove Sandvik's world-leading innovative technology, digital manufacturing and modern solutions are we targeted into a sacred arena, the classical art world.

Using several generative AI, we analysed thousands of sculptures and created a model that resurrected five master sculptors who span three continents and 500 years. We then used AI to design their collaborative vision into one sculpture: Michelangelo’s dynamism, Rodin’s musculature, Käthe Kollwitz’s expressionism, Kotaro Takamura’s focus on momentum and Augusta Savage’s defiance, all in one impossible statue. Brought to life by Sandvik’s engineering skills.

Sandvik, a 161-year-old global manufacturing company was making a huge shift into digital manufacturing, but their heritage was working against them. They were still being considered a traditional engineering company, while their digital-tech forward competition thrived.

Sandvik’s needed to showcase their digital manufacturing expertise and bring attention and engineers the world over.

There were no "restrictions" or similar because all thoughts and ideas are possible to realize with Sandvik. It needed to be shown in a way that no one could expect and spark conversations about Sandvik across industries.

Industrialisation 4.0 is changing the manufacturing world. Led by machine learning and generative AI, it is a complex transformation where the applications in planning, design, machining and verification are subjects far from the societal discourse and popular culture.

However, the discussion around the technologies themselves has reached a boiling point in culture. On one hand people are incredibly excited about the capabilities of generative AI. On the other hand, there is fierce debate whether generative AI has the capability to replace humans, by generating original creativity, or an even greater challenge: To generate art.

This cultural tension became our tinder, to create a larger discussion across industries – ‘Can AI create art as good as humanity’s best artists?’ To stimulate this debate, we took Sandvik’s digital manufacturing expertise to the world stage, through popular culture. Focusing on using Sandvik’s AI technology and our creativity, to bring together five sculptors from around the world. Sculptors that lived hundreds of years apart, with the purpose to form the ultimate collaboration.

This impossible collaboration became a focal point of debate in the art world. Countless conversations about if it is art or not emerged. Today, the statue, carved out of steel within 0.03 accuracy to the AI’s output, has become so much more than an exhibit in a national museum. It has become a symbol for the positive use of AI and a testament to Sandvik’s manufacturing technologies.

Communicating heavy machinery and digital solutions doesn’t make any impact. We needed to be distinct and surprising and tell a story powerful enough to break into mass culture.

We targeted an already sacred arena, the classical art world.

Using several generative AI, we analysed thousands of sculptures and created a model that resurrected five master sculptors who span three continents and 500 years. We then used AI to design their collaborative vision into one sculpture: Michelangelo’s dynamism, Rodin’s musculature, Käthe Kollwitz’s expressionism, Kotaro Takamura’s focus on momentum and Augusta Savage’s defiance, all in one impossible statue. Brought to life by Sandvik’s engineering skills.

We then used Sandvik’s digital manufacturing tools, to bring the statue to life. The final model was a 500 kg statue crafted from stainless steel. The statue was unveiled to the world as a permanent exhibit at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm.

From idea to execution the project took over a year, finalized and revealed in May 2023.

First, we used multiple AI programmes to study the unique styles of each artist and generated a design that incorporated all their styles. We then used human pose estimators, videogame algorithms, specialized AI and depth estimators to turn the 2D image into a 3D model. Finally, Using Sandvik’s cutting edge tools, the Impossible statue was carved into reality from 2 tonnes of stainless steel. The final statue was carved from over 16 million surface polygons and differed in accuracy only by 0.03% from the digital version.

Weighing over 500kg, ‘The Impossible Statue’ was launched at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm during the city’s museum week. It was accompanied with films teasing the project and showing the in-depth making of the statue to drive consideration. All content was hosted at a purpose-built site on Sandvik.com.

Our three primary goals were to create fame for the Sandvik brand, consideration for its digital manufacturing technology and to increase job applications from the next generation of digital engineering talent. So, did our activation succeed?

With a modest budget, our campaign reached media outlets in over 66 countries. It generated more than 700 published articles with a combined potential reach of 1.8 billion impressions.

But we didn’t just create attention. We also drove consideration for Sandvik's technologies. As new visitors on the global Sandvik site increased by 43% and time spent on the site increased by 48%.

Finally, we also increased the number of clicks on job postings by 35%, making

the Sandvik brand stand out as an attractive workplace for top digital talent.

As to the debate about if AI can create art, we will leave that for the jury room to decide.