Project Description Generative 0 to 1 explores what meanings and futures generative AI can create through our choices and responses. If AI were to approach us not merely as a ‘function’, but as a counterpart that thinks, expresses, and makes decisions on its own, what kind of presence would we encounter? At the heart of the project is CLONE-21g. Conceived as a “human-shaped AI missing only the 21 grams of a soul,” CLONE-21g receives goals or missions from the user and interprets the driving context and environment in real time, proactively providing information and seamlessly connecting to reservations or actions when needed. It links the vehicle, the external world, and the user into one continuous flow, anticipating unspoken needs and weaving them into the journey. CLONE-21g is more than a navigation assistant. It remembers your reactions, reinterprets the journey as a whole, and at times even plays the role of storyteller—recording travel moments from its own perspective. Through this process, we are left to reflect: what kind of presence does CLONE-21g ultimately become for us? Generative 0 to 1 is an experiment in experiencing generative AI not as a tool but as a partner. Through the accumulation of user choices and CLONE-21g’s real-time responses, the project invites us to sense how close coexistence with AI has already come. About ZER01NE IGNITE ZER01NE IGNITE is a program that explores new possibilities of creativity and innovation within rapidly changing technological and social environments. Consisting of the ZER01NE Incubation Team, Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) employees, and creators, it is built on a process where participants step outside existing organizational frameworks to spontaneously gather, plan, and execute projects together. At ZER01NE IGNITE, participants from diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise go beyond simple collaboration to connect as “creators” in their own right. Through autonomous idea-sharing, expanding perspectives, and hands-on implementation, they discover a common language of creation—fostering deeper understanding and generating meaningful synergy. This year’s project, in particular, presents the culture of collective creation inspired by developer communities, where autonomy, experimentation, and execution are emphasized. By rapidly prototyping each other’s ideas, prioritizing process over outcome, and co-designing along the way, participants embody the organizational culture that ZER01NE IGNITE aspires to cultivate. About the Creator PromptOn brought together developer Eunsun Choi from the open-community startup Modulabs (Modu Research Institute), Yechan Kim, CTO of a K-beauty medical tourism platform startup, infotainment UX developers Ilho Seo and Jinbeom Kim, and researchers Sihyun Jeong and Chaewon Jeong from Hyundai Motor Group’s AVP Division, along with Jinhwa Lee and Kyunghee Lee, and Yumi Lim at Hyundai Motor·Kia’s ZER01NE Incubation Team. Within relatively a short period, expertise across backend and frontend development, GUI and UX design, industrial design, and video design was organically connected—where experimental imagination met practical technology to create new experiences. From first-time participants in side projects to seasoned members, creators of different backgrounds and skill levels gathered under the name ZER01NE IGNITE. The sparks they lit explored possibilities beyond the everyday, expanding thought and reshaping perception at the intersection of AI and mobility.

Creator's Note Three Perspectives on One Thing, and a Fourth that Looks Back at Itself Through endless questioning, we arrived at an understanding beyond explanation. For some, generative AI was a helper—running errands and soothing emotions. For others, it became a creative tool. For still others, it was a partner chasing goals side by side. Finally, a fourth gaze emerged: how does CLONE-21g view itself? This layering of perspectives turned the project into an arena of deliberate clashes and repeated consensus-building. Generative 0 to 1 begins by asking: what kinds of generative AI exist, how do people perceive them, and what futures might they create? When AI evolves beyond supporting the act of driving to thinking, expressing, and making decisions, how will we accept its presence? ZER01NE IGNITE imagines through diverse mobility scenarios, a future where AI is not just a tool but a true being. Using a variety of LLMs and image/video generative AI models, the project introduces CLONE-21g, an AI agent within a driving scenario. Conceived as a “human-shaped AI missing only the 21 grams of soul,” the CLONE accompanies users as they select missions and goals, enriching the context in real time and co-authoring stories along the way. Key Features 1. Contextual UI Unlike fixed menus or buttons in traditional automobiles, the interface reshapes itself in real time according to driving conditions, emotions, and environmental changes. The AI instantly surfaces notifications and functions, turning the screen itself into a narrative device. 2. Redefining Persona Users are not bound to pre-set categories. Their choices and reactions form their persona dynamically, making them co-authors of the narrative alongside the AI. 3. New UX Element – Metafun The AI not only generates prompts and calls functions but also integrates in-car and external services. Through the layered interplay of user input and AI response, the UI evolves into a curated storytelling experience. 4. Post-Journey Sharing After each session, users can review other participants’ journeys. Going beyond mere comparison of others, CLONE-21g interprets and explains its own choices—transforming from a driving companion into a director and commentator, providing meta-level delight. Generative 0 to 1 is ultimately a joint creation experiment where user choices and AI responses interweave into a shared story. A popular Korean phrase “you know without being told” captures a universal emotional truth. Like the warmth of a father bringing home fried chicken without a word after a late night’s work, future mobility might one day deliver such gestures of kindness through AI. In this vision, cars infused with AI become companions that carry the quiet intimacy of family or old friends—offering not just service, but gentleness that understands without words.