Coca-Cola Responds to Backlash to AI-Generated Christmas Ad

Coca-Cola has released a statement after facing huge backlash for creating an AI-generated Christmas advert which fans described as “disastrous”.

Paying homage to the iconic drink’s 1995 “Holidays Are Coming” campaign, the new 15-second ad depicts a fleet of red cherry trucks driving down a snowy road to deliver cold bottles of Coke to customers in a festively decorated city.

But it’s a small disclaimer in the small print on the video that reads, “created by Real Magic AI,” that has people angry.

The brand has since defended its use of the controversial technology, saying it was a collaboration between humans and AI.

“The Coca-Cola Company has celebrated a long history of capturing the magic of the holidays in content, films, events and retail activations for decades around the globe,” the spokesperson said.

“We are always exploring new ways to connect with consumers and experimenting with different approaches. This year, we created films through a collaboration of human storytellers and the power of generative AI.”

Consumers literally weren’t buying it, calling the ad a “scary dystopian nightmare.”

“The world has ended if Coca-Cola’s Christmas advert is made with AI,” wrote one user on X, per The Independent.

“Sad to see this was done with AI created program,” added another in the YouTube comments.

“I feel like I’m watching the death of art and our planet unfold before my eyes and no one IRL seems to care.”

Others described the video, which has since gone viral for all the wrong reasons on social media, as “rubbish”, “ugly” and “lazy”.

But why has this short video sparked so much controversy?

In addition to the “unbearably” loud ad (there are 10 takes in just 15 seconds), many commentators argued that this is a weak attempt to reduce the workforce in the film and technology industries and kill jobs, Forbes reported.

According to critics, the production quality is not up to the mark.

Many details are “off”, such as the wheels of the truck sliding across the ground without turning, and the conspicuous absence of Santa Claus from the screen, with only his out-of-proportion hand clutching a bottle of Coke.

But Jason Zada, founder of AI studio Secret Level, one of three Coca-Cola partnered with on the project, argued that there is still a human component that creates the “warmth” in the clip.

Zada told AdAge that harnessing generative AI for something as complex as an ad isn’t as easy as just pushing a button, and Pratik Thakar, Coca-Cola’s vice president and global head of generative AI, explained that the company is connecting ” her “heritage”. with “the future and technology” with the next generation campaign.

Using technology, he argued, saves money — and, not to mention, time.

“More than the cost, it’s the speed,” Thakar told the media.

“The speed is I’d say five times, right? And this is a huge benefit. The production time would have taken, traditionally, much longer. So that’s a huge benefit.”

“And then you can do more, more variety, and more personalized and more personalized,” he continued.

“And that’s the way to go, with resources, rather than doing less and spending less.”