Not everyone will be able to hug their loved ones this holiday season—or throughout the year—but Klick Health, at least, is on a mission to change that for its own employees.
The life sciences marketing agency debuted a video this week in which several Klick employees talk about the importance of hugging friends and family, and about the people they haven’t been able to hug recently. They’re then surprised first with artificial intelligence-generated clips of them hugging loved ones who have passed away or who they haven’t seen in a while, after which some of the relatives in the latter group appear on set for an actual squeeze.
Klick produced the video to benefit both its employees’ well-being and the nonprofit Foundation for Social Connection, with a pledge to donate $1 to the foundation for each view of the video, up to $10,000.
The company also put out an accompanying video explaining how others can create their own AI-generated hugs from a pair of static photos.
“There’s nothing quite like the warmth and reassurance of a heartfelt hug,” Rich Levy, Klick’s chief creative officer, said in a Tuesday announcement. “With ‘Holiday Hugs,’ we wanted to celebrate the profound connections that hugs create—even when distance or life circumstances keep us apart. Seeing the joy and tears of our Klicksters reminds us that no technology can truly replace the magic of human connection, but it can help bring us closer in the most surprising ways.”
Klick noted in the announcement that not only are hugs good for emotional well-being, they also have physical health benefits: It cited NIH study findings showing that frequent hugs with loved ones can help to lower blood pressure and boost the immune system.
The company also pointed to the results of its own recently commissioned survey on the state of hugs in the U.S. and Canada. It found that nearly three-quarters of people won’t be able to hug someone they want to this holiday season, with the most common reasons being that person’s death, geographical distance or estranged relationships.
Overall, fewer than one-third of those surveyed said they currently get all the hugs they want, while 52% said they would like more hugs.