Qatar Airways, the operator of the largest number of Starlink-equipped widebody aircraft, unveiled the “Sky Studio Challenge,” an industry-first Starlink-powered creative experiment developed in collaboration with Google.
The activation took place on 17 November 2025 onboard a Qatar Airways Starlink-enabled Airbus A350 operating a 15-hour flight from Doha to Atlanta. Using Google’s latest Gemini video and image AI generation models, two commercials were created entirely in-flight.
As the first global challenge to generate, render, edit, and publish full AI-produced films before landing, the “Sky Studio Challenge” relied on Starlink speeds that rival most home broadband networks, enabling heavy file transfers, complex scene generation, real-time cloud workflows, and live collaboration with teams on the ground.
The challenge brought together two of the most influential figures in AI film-making: PJ Accetturo and Torey Kohara. Accetturo is known for the viral Kalshi NBA Finals spot and collaborations with Grok and IM8. He is recognized for developing bold visual concepts, dynamic pacing, and high-impact storytelling. Kohara, a prolific tech-focused director behind major Google campaigns, is celebrated for soft, cinematic narratives that transform complex technical concepts into emotionally resonant films. Their contrasting creative approaches presented the breadth of possibilities when cutting-edge AI tools are paired with reliable, high-speed in-flight connectivity.
Qatar Airways Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications, Mr. Babar Rahman, said, “This first-of-its-kind challenge demonstrates why Qatar Airways is leading the industry in inflight connectivity, which our passengers can experience today rather than months or years from now. As the first airline to offer Starlink in the MENA region, we are already setting new benchmarks and delivering industry-first achievements at an unprecedented pace.
It has been incredibly exciting to work with Google and two world-renowned AI filmmakers, PJ Accetturo and Torey Kohara, and to see Gemini’s capabilities utilized onboard to showcase the level of connectivity our passengers enjoy on every Starlink-enabled flight, delivering what is essentially a faster-than-home Wi-Fi experience. Completing two full commercial films during a single 15-hour flight was only possible because our Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 aircraft already fly with the fastest and most reliable Wi-Fi in the sky. This proves that Qatar Airways has moved beyond talking about the future of in-flight connectivity to delivering it increasingly and at scale across our global network of over 170 destinations today.”
Google Regional Marketing Director for the Middle East and Africa, Mr. Najeeb Jarrar, said: “It’s amazing to see our AI tools and models, including our state-of-the-art video generation model, Veo 3.1, being utilised to tell the story of Qatar Airways in an interactive and creative way. As a marketer, this allows us to create ads and deliver great work with a brief-to-launch timeline measured in hours. A huge thanks to both PJ Accetturo and Torey Kohara for accepting the challenge, and for being able to steer the video generation process. We are very happy with the collaboration with Qatar Airways and we look forward to experimenting together with more tools and technologies in the future.”Qatar Airways and Google Launch Industry-First “Sky Studio Challenge” Powered by Starlink,
While commercials have been filmed inside aircraft before, no brand has ever produced complete AI-generated films during a single flight and published them before landing. Starlink’s bandwidth and reliability enabled a level of capability previously unattainable in aviation, from complex multi-layer editing and rendering to high-volume cloud processing typically restricted to the ground.
Qatar Airways and Google share a longstanding collaboration across multiple innovation-led initiatives. Gemini’s latest image and video AI generation models were selected for their ability to produce high-quality footage quickly—a performance that relies heavily on high-bandwidth, low-latency connectivity. Without Starlink, now available on our Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 aircraft, an activation of this scale would not have been technically achievable.
