Griff Furst Gets 'humAIn™' - Interview
Griff Furst fooled the internet for six weeks with his AI horror web series, 'humAIn™' now streaming on YouTube.
For six weeks, filmmaker Griff Furst watched thousands of people buy into a company that did not exist.
The website looked legitimate. The social media accounts posted like a startup preparing for launch. Reddit threads discussed the technology in character. Physical packages arrived at homes across the country. NFC-enabled artifacts were mailed to creators. Piece by piece, participants followed clues tied to what appeared to be an emerging artificial intelligence company.
It was all fiction and to be clear…all the actors are real people.
The elaborate deception was part of the rollout for ‘humAIn™’, a scripted horror anthology series created by Furst that premiered on YouTube after a six-week alternate reality game blurred the line between marketing campaign and storytelling experience.
As players unraveled the mystery, the barrier between audience and narrative disappeared. Those who successfully solved the ARG were invited into the livestream premiere itself, becoming part of the story they had spent weeks trying to decode.
The project represents Furst’s latest experiment in audience engagement and digital storytelling. Best known for producing more than 40 feature films, including ‘Devil’s Peak’ starring Billy Bob Thornton and Robin Wright, ‘57 Seconds’ with Morgan Freeman and the ‘Tales from the Hood’ trilogy, Furst is now turning his attention to YouTube as a platform for scripted entertainment.
‘humAIn™’, follows a format that combines horror anthology storytelling with immersive online world-building. The project also features YouTube creators Jack Gordon and JimmyHere, whose involvement helped bridge traditional filmmaking with creator-driven audiences.
The series arrives at a moment when filmmakers are increasingly exploring alternatives to conventional studio development models. Rather than pursuing a traditional television or streaming deal, Furst built the audience first, using the ARG as both a marketing vehicle and an extension of the narrative itself.
Furst discusses the creation of the fake AI company, the challenges of sustaining a six-week immersive experience, the decision to premiere on YouTube and why he believes the future of scripted storytelling may be found outside traditional Hollywood systems.
‘humAIn™’ is now live on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@gethumAIn.