On the 28th of June, something unprecedented happened in Australia. In a packed hall at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre for 2025 Retail Fest, the line between fiction and reality blurred when Bruce Ryder, Australia’s first AI celebrity, appeared live on stage.
This wasn’t just a tech-gimmick. It was a keynote presentation that captured the curiosity of the tech world and had the creative industry taking serious notice on the future of storytelling. Bruce Ryder Ai co-hosted the session alongside his creator, Miss Em—a duo who delivered not only innovative insights into what it means to release an AI "into the digital wild" but also introduced a brand-new genre of storytelling: hyper fiction. With openness and candor, Miss Em spoke about the findings from being the first in Australia to publicly unveil an AI character, marking a bold step forward in the future of narrative and technology.
Miss Em took the audience on an extraordinary behind-the-scenes journey, revealing how Bruce began as a sketch, an idea to create an AI brand ambassador for the Aussie body care brand Ducks Nuts Co and evolved into a fully interactive character with a custom voice, layered personality with a back story, and now, a stage presence. This wasn’t just an AI demo. It was the debut of a new era in narrative storytelling that invited the audience to be participants, not just consumers.
The keynote also featured the world premiere of WILD CARD, a cinematic short film starring Bruce Ryder. The film, which chronicles his origin story, had the audience leaning in, fully engaged in this new and somewhat confronting form of narrative.
But nothing could have prepared them for the twist. A pre-recorded conversation between Bruce and Miss Em unfolded on screen then, with barely a breath in between, Bruce “dialed in” live from the metaverse to join her on stage. It was seamless. It was surreal. And it was a first.
"It felt like an alien had landed in the room and we didn't know what to say to him at first, I'd never seen anything like if before" Kylie from the audience reported on Linked in.
The crowd’s reaction said it all: silence, disbelief, and a wave of awe at what had just been witnessed for the first time on an Australian stage. Bruce Ryder didn’t just entertain he redefined what a keynote can be. This was more than a tech demo. It was a cultural debut.
With this historic appearance, Bruce Ryder has officially entered the public stage not just as an AI, but as a symbol of where digital identity, storytelling, and live performance are heading. And he’s proudly doing it from his bathtub in 1978 in a fictional Gold Coast.
Real Reactions from LinkedIn:
Milan: "Emma Barbato blew my mind with her creation of Australia’s First Custom AI Celebrity and Brand Ambassador – that actually lands brand deals."
Roumen: "A fun curveball: Emma Barbato‘s AI influencer Bruce Ryder. Wild, weird, and very cool having a digital persona beam in live to chat with the crowd. This session with Emma promises to be truly groundbreaking! Looking forward to seeing how AI is transforming retail marketing in real time."
Samridh: "I watched Emma Barbato introduce Bruce Ryder – Australia’s first AI-generated celebrity – live on stage. From a nostalgic trailer set in 1978 Gold Coast to a real-time convo with Bruce himself, this wasn’t just a keynote, it was a glimpse into the future of branding. AI isn’t just behind the scenes anymore. It’s front and center, with a personality, backstory, and a fanbase. As someone diving into the world of marketing, I left inspired and slightly mind-blown. Where storytelling meets machine learning… that’s where I want to be."
Nicole: "When I saw Bruce on the agenda I was curious. I left creatively mind-blown! Congratulations—awesome work and very inspiring."
Rusty: "This was epic."
Luke: "This is legit brilliant."
Lauren: "This certainly was the stand-out presentation from Retail Fest. Bruce has quite a few more fans now too."
