AI is a lot like a good story—it sparks the imagination, evokes genuine awe, and even inspires our own creativity. And this year, in celebration of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, we asked creators from around the world to use AI to craft a unique story in Microsoft Copilot. The only catch was that they had to include the iconic film-noir line: “The door flew open, and in walked trouble …”
So, what happens when trouble walks in? It travels through science fiction, graphic novels, and even the inner world of the subconscious … into the attic, across the world, or out of this world entirely. Trouble overcomes its fears, undermines stereotypes, and reinvents itself. And as many times as trouble makes an entrance, it’s never quite the same. The vision of each creator, and where their imagination takes them, shows how the true power of AI is within you!
…and see what happens next
Explore the gallery and click on images to discover the prompts and stories that inspired them.
More stories
AI is not creative. You are.
It’s your turn! Bring your story to life with Microsoft Copilot—whether you try out the line above and make it your own, or start from scratch.
Knowing where to start can be daunting. So here’s a formula to help create the best prompt for your unique vision.
Don’t be afraid to play. Swap out words, add more descriptions, and make it personal.
Keep those doors open and let the ideas rush in. Nurture the troublesome ones—they might surprise you.
A woman’s journey through her subconscious
In this narrative the door is a gateway into the subconscious, the world of dreams and nightmares. Trouble is a symbol that stands for the protagonist’s fears, which she carries with herself. So in the first place she is the trouble. Entering what’s at the other side of the door evokes a feeling of fear, but also anticipation and hope. The door is transparent, but water is running on top, making it a little difficult to see clearly what’s behind it. The water symbolizes cleansing. Once she goes through the door, she starts washing away the fears.
Prompt
A futuristic, whimsical, and minimalistic environment with sand on the ground, a transparent door with water running down creating a water path, and a woman crossing the door. The scene includes subtle fog and abstract figures in the sky, with a dark and mysterious color palette that matches the concept of the narrative, emphasizing the water running down the door. On the ground there are a couple of heads coming out of the sand, looking like the woman but with different facial expressions. Keep it kind of abstract, overall.
Diana Rauss
A woman’s journey through her subconscious
In this narrative the door is a gateway into the subconscious, the world of dreams and nightmares. Trouble is a symbol that stands for the protagonist’s fears, which she carries with herself. So in the first place she is the trouble. Entering what’s at the other side of the door evokes a feeling of fear, but also anticipation and hope. The door is transparent, but water is running on top, making it a little difficult to see clearly what’s behind it. The water symbolizes cleansing. Once she goes through the door, she starts washing away the fears.
Prompt
A futuristic, whimsical, and minimalistic environment with sand on the ground, a transparent door with water running down creating a water path, and a woman crossing the door. The scene includes subtle fog and abstract figures in the sky, with a dark and mysterious color palette that matches the concept of the narrative, emphasizing the water running down the door. On the ground there are a couple of heads coming out of the sand, looking like the woman but with different facial expressions. Keep it kind of abstract, overall.
Diana Rauss
Achy Breaky Trouble
Trouble comes in rootin’ tootin’ flavour as it slam dunks through those saloon doors. Inspired by shouting loudly and coveting vintage cowboy boots.
Prompt
The door flew open and in walked trouble with a giant cowboy boot with big cartoon eyes and lightning bolts bursting through salon doors while wearing pink cowboy boots on in a disco space with flamingos.
Orlaith Conlon
Achy Breaky Trouble
Trouble comes in rootin’ tootin’ flavour as it slam dunks through those saloon doors. Inspired by shouting loudly and coveting vintage cowboy boots.
Prompt
The door flew open and in walked trouble with a giant cowboy boot with big cartoon eyes and lightning bolts bursting through salon doors while wearing pink cowboy boots on in a disco space with flamingos.
Orlaith Conlon
Catnip Couture
I work with three cats consuming my desk space and sometimes I creatively drift to the ridiculous.
Prompt
The door flew open in a beautifully curated modern cat house, plants basking in filtered sunlight and a sense of anticipation as a hipster cat walks like a human in holding a pawful full of catnip, high fashion shoot, light leaks, wide lens, reportage style.
Regan Warner
Catnip Couture
I work with three cats consuming my desk space and sometimes I creatively drift to the ridiculous.
Prompt
The door flew open in a beautifully curated modern cat house, plants basking in filtered sunlight and a sense of anticipation as a hipster cat walks like a human in holding a pawful full of catnip, high fashion shoot, light leaks, wide lens, reportage style.
Regan Warner
Wild Flower
Wildflowers bloom amidst a digital landscape, symbolizing the enigmatic nature of artificial intelligence. Each petal represents an algorithm, complex and beautiful, yet unpredictable in its growth and impact. The untamed beauty of the flowers mirrors AI’s potential to flourish beyond our understanding, raising questions about its inherent goodness or peril. Like wildflowers, AI can spread rapidly, its roots intertwining with the fabric of society, making it difficult to discern whether it will ultimately nurture or disrupt the delicate balance of our world. This portrayal captures the duality of AI, leaving us to ponder its true nature.
Prompt
A desolate open door in the center of a room with a plethora of wild flowers, plants, and vines growing in vivid yet slightly desaturated colors, predominantly pinks and greens, with accents of shiny gold metallic organic matter, in a 3D and hyper-realistic style, surrounded by a very neutral-colored environment.
Damini Agrawal
Wild Flower
Wildflowers bloom amidst a digital landscape, symbolizing the enigmatic nature of artificial intelligence. Each petal represents an algorithm, complex and beautiful, yet unpredictable in its growth and impact. The untamed beauty of the flowers mirrors AI’s potential to flourish beyond our understanding, raising questions about its inherent goodness or peril. Like wildflowers, AI can spread rapidly, its roots intertwining with the fabric of society, making it difficult to discern whether it will ultimately nurture or disrupt the delicate balance of our world. This portrayal captures the duality of AI, leaving us to ponder its true nature.
Prompt
A desolate open door in the center of a room with a plethora of wild flowers, plants, and vines growing in vivid yet slightly desaturated colors, predominantly pinks and greens, with accents of shiny gold metallic organic matter, in a 3D and hyper-realistic style, surrounded by a very neutral-colored environment.
Damini Agrawal
Welcome to Adulting
I am a 23 year old, living for the first time on my own and working in an adult job, kind of denying that I am adulting. Coming home is a constant-chore reminder. Forever young? Idk…
Prompt
The door explodes open, showering confetti everywhere! Dishes erupt from the sink in a rainbow avalanche. Laundry, a technicolor tidal wave, threatens to drown the room. “Out of Milk!” sign. toilet paper roll, perched precariously on a throne of mismatched socks, looks heroic. Welcome to adulting. (Style: Fun, Vibrant 3D. Think wacky cartoon meets childhood bedroom!)
Roni Maoz
Welcome to Adulting
I am a 23 year old, living for the first time on my own and working in an adult job, kind of denying that I am adulting. Coming home is a constant-chore reminder. Forever young? Idk…
Prompt
The door explodes open, showering confetti everywhere! Dishes erupt from the sink in a rainbow avalanche. Laundry, a technicolor tidal wave, threatens to drown the room. “Out of Milk!” sign. toilet paper roll, perched precariously on a throne of mismatched socks, looks heroic. Welcome to adulting. (Style: Fun, Vibrant 3D. Think wacky cartoon meets childhood bedroom!)
Roni Maoz
Inner thoughts
Philosopher Epíktētos: “It is not the things themselves that disturb us, but our interpretations of those things.” Taking this quote as inspiration, I wanted to reflect that many problems we face in life are usually generated by ourselves, our mind. And the reason why is that the main character is becoming the problem.
Prompt
The door flew open and in walked trouble. A sepulchral room unfolds in front of me, shrouded in dense, suffocating gloom. In the centre, a fogged door stands like a portal. Inside my emotions personified stare at me, while my deepest and most fearful thoughts come to life in the shadows, stalking me with sharp terrorific claws. (Image style: Art photography with surrealistic elements)
Greta Milans
Inner thoughts
Philosopher Epíktētos: “It is not the things themselves that disturb us, but our interpretations of those things.” Taking this quote as inspiration, I wanted to reflect that many problems we face in life are usually generated by ourselves, our mind. And the reason why is that the main character is becoming the problem.
Prompt
The door flew open and in walked trouble. A sepulchral room unfolds in front of me, shrouded in dense, suffocating gloom. In the centre, a fogged door stands like a portal. Inside my emotions personified stare at me, while my deepest and most fearful thoughts come to life in the shadows, stalking me with sharp terrorific claws. (Image style: Art photography with surrealistic elements)
Greta Milans
Gone to the dogs
This is the story of my life, in six frames. I come home, miss my dogs, find a mess and they still get away with murder.
Prompt
The door flew open and in walked trouble. A woman arriving home to her two whippet dogs greeting her at the door, dogs running around happy to see her, discovering a broken vase with flowers and water spilled, and both dogs with flowers in their mouths looking at her. Realistic, colorful, happy.
Ioana Filip
Gone to the dogs
This is the story of my life, in six frames. I come home, miss my dogs, find a mess and they still get away with murder.
Prompt
The door flew open and in walked trouble. A woman arriving home to her two whippet dogs greeting her at the door, dogs running around happy to see her, discovering a broken vase with flowers and water spilled, and both dogs with flowers in their mouths looking at her. Realistic, colorful, happy.
Ioana Filip
The Big Opportunity
The concept here was to think about the trouble not just as a bad thing but to see it by a different perspective. Here I bring the trouble as an opportunity to grow and learn with it. And the image we can see the “glitch effect” and below it we can see the rectangle in a clearer way with the opportunities.
Prompt
A short poem about problems being opportunities, inspired by the opening line ‘The door flew open, and in walked trouble.’
Juliana Custódio
The Big Opportunity
The concept here was to think about the trouble not just as a bad thing but to see it by a different perspective. Here I bring the trouble as an opportunity to grow and learn with it. And the image we can see the “glitch effect” and below it we can see the rectangle in a clearer way with the opportunities.
Prompt
A short poem about problems being opportunities, inspired by the opening line ‘The door flew open, and in walked trouble.’
Juliana Custódio
Open Doors. Invite Trouble.
I began with a photo of myself in my home studio, then created a depth map of it to inform Microsoft Copilot. In the ghostlike images, I realized I was in a dream of a space—one built after many years of working as a creative. I was a kid who wanted to be an artist, and I remember the drafting table my parents bought me and my first sketchbooks. Thinking back on my art school experiences and my many jobs, I realize that doors have been opened for me at every turn. Today, I have the opportunity—and the obligation—to open doors for others by hiring, mentoring, teaching, and respecting a younger generation of creatives. So in walks the next generation… trouble. And in the words of Rep. John Lewis, they’re bringing “good trouble.” They will challenge everything that came before them. That includes challenging you and me. I’m here to blow doors open and invite trouble. I hope you are too.
Prompt
A child with glasses, sculpting a rabbit in an art studio. The composition focuses on the boy as he intently molds clay, framed by an open doorway. The studio is warmly lit by natural light, enhancing the creative and cozy atmosphere of the scene.
Work in process
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A depth map photo to inform Microsoft Copilot.
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This scene captures a moment of technological exploration, set in an artist’s studio, framed by an open teal doorway.
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The child is centered in the frame, standing at a kitchen counter and intently focused on mixing ingredients. The setting is warmly lit by natural light, which highlights the clean and functional kitchen environment. This composition closely matches the previous style discussed, focusing on a warm and engaging moment of learning.
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Color photo of a young girl in an art studio, with an expression of wonder, in a vintage style resembling an old Fuji film photo. The girl is sitting off-center in a chair looking into the camera with a large room behind her with fewer skylights and art supplies. Low contrast to give an aged, timeless feel to the image. Realistic, old-fashioned portrait, shot with a film camera, viewed through a doorway.
Open Doors. Invite Trouble.
I began with a photo of myself in my home studio, then created a depth map of it to inform Microsoft Copilot. In the ghostlike images, I realized I was in a dream of a space—one built after many years of working as a creative. I was a kid who wanted to be an artist, and I remember the drafting table my parents bought me and my first sketchbooks. Thinking back on my art school experiences and my many jobs, I realize that doors have been opened for me at every turn. Today, I have the opportunity—and the obligation—to open doors for others by hiring, mentoring, teaching, and respecting a younger generation of creatives. So in walks the next generation… trouble. And in the words of Rep. John Lewis, they’re bringing “good trouble.” They will challenge everything that came before them. That includes challenging you and me. I’m here to blow doors open and invite trouble. I hope you are too.
Prompt
A child with glasses, sculpting a rabbit in an art studio. The composition focuses on the boy as he intently molds clay, framed by an open doorway. The studio is warmly lit by natural light, enhancing the creative and cozy atmosphere of the scene.
Work in process
-
A depth map photo to inform Microsoft Copilot.
-
This scene captures a moment of technological exploration, set in an artist’s studio, framed by an open teal doorway.
-
The child is centered in the frame, standing at a kitchen counter and intently focused on mixing ingredients. The setting is warmly lit by natural light, which highlights the clean and functional kitchen environment. This composition closely matches the previous style discussed, focusing on a warm and engaging moment of learning.
-
Color photo of a young girl in an art studio, with an expression of wonder, in a vintage style resembling an old Fuji film photo. The girl is sitting off-center in a chair looking into the camera with a large room behind her with fewer skylights and art supplies. Low contrast to give an aged, timeless feel to the image. Realistic, old-fashioned portrait, shot with a film camera, viewed through a doorway.
Whirlwind Dreams
To tell the story of the beauty and chaos that are intertwined on the journey towards pursuing your dreams.
In the dance of dreams and chaos, where hopes and whirlwinds blend, beauty emerges, pure and bright, As we journey to our dreams’ end. The chaos, a masterful maestro, conducts the symphony of our quest, its wild notes a thrilling challenge, on which our aspirations rest. Amidst the swirling, vibrant storm, our dreams take flight, unfurled, a testament to the strength within, as we navigate this wondrous world. For in the heart of every tempest, lies a core of tranquil light, guiding us through the turbulence, with visions of our dreams in sight. So let the winds of chaos roar, and the beauty within us shine, together they weave a tapestry, of a destiny by design. In this whirlwind journey we find, that beauty lives in the strive, and chaos, once a fearsome foe, keeps the flame of our dreams alive. With every step, the path unfolds, in a dance of chance and skill, and we, the dreamers of the day, climb onwards, upwards still. For beauty and chaos are partners, in the waltz towards our dreams’ embrace, and in their intertwined existence, we find our heart’s truest grace.
Prompts
Write a short poem about how beauty and chaos are intertwined on the whirlwind journey of pursuing your life’s dream. Give it a positive and uplifting tone.
A tornado of flower petals, windstorm, beautiful chaos, beauty in the struggle, juxtaposition, expressively minimalist, disorderly, high contrast, highly sensorial, immersive, cinema4d, c4d, redshift.
Candace Solola
Whirlwind Dreams
To tell the story of the beauty and chaos that are intertwined on the journey towards pursuing your dreams.
In the dance of dreams and chaos, where hopes and whirlwinds blend, beauty emerges, pure and bright, As we journey to our dreams’ end. The chaos, a masterful maestro, conducts the symphony of our quest, its wild notes a thrilling challenge, on which our aspirations rest. Amidst the swirling, vibrant storm, our dreams take flight, unfurled, a testament to the strength within, as we navigate this wondrous world. For in the heart of every tempest, lies a core of tranquil light, guiding us through the turbulence, with visions of our dreams in sight. So let the winds of chaos roar, and the beauty within us shine, together they weave a tapestry, of a destiny by design. In this whirlwind journey we find, that beauty lives in the strive, and chaos, once a fearsome foe, keeps the flame of our dreams alive. With every step, the path unfolds, in a dance of chance and skill, and we, the dreamers of the day, climb onwards, upwards still. For beauty and chaos are partners, in the waltz towards our dreams’ embrace, and in their intertwined existence, we find our heart’s truest grace.
Prompts
Write a short poem about how beauty and chaos are intertwined on the whirlwind journey of pursuing your life’s dream. Give it a positive and uplifting tone.
A tornado of flower petals, windstorm, beautiful chaos, beauty in the struggle, juxtaposition, expressively minimalist, disorderly, high contrast, highly sensorial, immersive, cinema4d, c4d, redshift.
Candace Solola
The Anti-Trouble Bubble
Trouble to me is the train doors opening on the London Underground during rush hour. There’s a moment at Stratford station on my route home from work, when the central line doors open, and I’m confronted with a solid wall of commuters barging their way on before I’ve even stepped off, every. single. time. This Anti-Trouble Bubble is an innovative new product. A bubble made for commuting with built-in air ventilation. It self-inflates at the click of a button, comes with built-in AC, a USB port for the most convenient recharging and it deflates to fit comfortably inside a tote bag or jacket pocket.
Prompt
The door flew open, and in walked trouble. London train doors from the platform. A commuter wearing an inflatable bubble during rush hour on London Underground. It’s comfortable and modern with vents for air circulation.
Work in process
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The door flew open, and in walked trouble. London Underground train doors open, you are confronted with a wall of commuters staring back at you, pushing to get on your train. First person POV. Intricate details, highly detailed, perfect composition, 8K, High Definition.
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The door flew open, and in walked trouble. London Underground train doors open, you are confronted with a wall of commuters staring back at you, pushing to get on your train. First person POV. Intricate details, highly detailed, perfect composition, 8K, High Definition.
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London Underground during peak rush hour, a person is trying to squash onto a packed train. First person POV. They are wearing an inflatable transparent protective bubble, modern design with air ventilation. Intricate details, highly detailed, perfect composition, 8K, High Definition.
The Anti-Trouble Bubble
Trouble to me is the train doors opening on the London Underground during rush hour. There’s a moment at Stratford station on my route home from work, when the central line doors open, and I’m confronted with a solid wall of commuters barging their way on before I’ve even stepped off, every. single. time. This Anti-Trouble Bubble is an innovative new product. A bubble made for commuting with built-in air ventilation. It self-inflates at the click of a button, comes with built-in AC, a USB port for the most convenient recharging and it deflates to fit comfortably inside a tote bag or jacket pocket.
Prompt
The door flew open, and in walked trouble. London train doors from the platform. A commuter wearing an inflatable bubble during rush hour on London Underground. It’s comfortable and modern with vents for air circulation.
Work in process
-
The door flew open, and in walked trouble. London Underground train doors open, you are confronted with a wall of commuters staring back at you, pushing to get on your train. First person POV. Intricate details, highly detailed, perfect composition, 8K, High Definition.
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The door flew open, and in walked trouble. London Underground train doors open, you are confronted with a wall of commuters staring back at you, pushing to get on your train. First person POV. Intricate details, highly detailed, perfect composition, 8K, High Definition.
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London Underground during peak rush hour, a person is trying to squash onto a packed train. First person POV. They are wearing an inflatable transparent protective bubble, modern design with air ventilation. Intricate details, highly detailed, perfect composition, 8K, High Definition.
The Entrapment of Indulgence
The Tension between Desire and Responsibility. Sometimes trouble presents itself as things we want or think we need. The choice is ours whether to resist the sirens song or get sucked into the abyss of indulgence and potentially risk things we have worked hard for.
Prompt
The door flew open to reveal trouble in the form of a tantalizing abyss of beautiful clothes, shoes, and jewelry. On one side stands opulence: silk gowns, diamond necklaces, and shoes that whisper promises of elegance like a siren’s song. On the other side, the specter of financial ruin looms. Photorealistic. 4D cinema imagery.
Work in process
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A black woman standing in her room in front of Victorian paneled door (back view) wishing for earthly possessions such as beautiful, opulent, luxurious clothes, shoes, jewelry and bags, which are spread out above her head in a large mystical looking thought bubble. Photorealistic. 4D cinema imagery.
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A black woman battling against beautiful, opulent, luxurious clothes, shoes, bags and jewelry, flying around her in the air in her room. Photorealistic. 4D cinematic imagery.
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A black woman struggling against beautiful, opulent, luxurious clothes, shoes, bags and jewelry, as they spew out from a door. She tries to walk towards the door to close it.
The Entrapment of Indulgence
The Tension between Desire and Responsibility. Sometimes trouble presents itself as things we want or think we need. The choice is ours whether to resist the sirens song or get sucked into the abyss of indulgence and potentially risk things we have worked hard for.
Prompt
The door flew open to reveal trouble in the form of a tantalizing abyss of beautiful clothes, shoes, and jewelry. On one side stands opulence: silk gowns, diamond necklaces, and shoes that whisper promises of elegance like a siren’s song. On the other side, the specter of financial ruin looms. Photorealistic. 4D cinema imagery.
Work in process
-
A black woman standing in her room in front of Victorian paneled door (back view) wishing for earthly possessions such as beautiful, opulent, luxurious clothes, shoes, jewelry and bags, which are spread out above her head in a large mystical looking thought bubble. Photorealistic. 4D cinema imagery.
-
A black woman battling against beautiful, opulent, luxurious clothes, shoes, bags and jewelry, flying around her in the air in her room. Photorealistic. 4D cinematic imagery.
-
A black woman struggling against beautiful, opulent, luxurious clothes, shoes, bags and jewelry, as they spew out from a door. She tries to walk towards the door to close it.
