Coca-Cola responds to backlash over AI-generated Christmas ad

Coca-Cola has issued a statement after copping huge backlash for creating an AI-generated Christmas commercial that fans labelled “disastrous.”

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

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

The brand has since defended its use of the controversial technology, stating 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, film, events, and retail activations for decades around the globe,” the spokesperson said.

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

Consumers quite literally weren’t buying it, blasting the ad as a “creepy dystopian nightmare.”

“The world is so over if the Christmas Coca-Cola advert is made with AI,” one user wrote on X, per The Independent.

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

“I feel like I’m watching the death of art and our planet unfold in front of 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 “garbage”, “ugly”, and “lazy.”

But why has this short video sparked so much controversy?

Aside from the “unbearably” choppy commercial (there are 10 shots in just 15 seconds), many commentators argued it’s a poor attempt to cheapen labor in the film and technology industry and kill jobs, Forbes reported.

The quality of the production doesn’t hit the mark either, according to critics.

Plenty of details are “off,” such as the truck wheels gliding across the ground without spinning, and the distinct lack of Santa Claus onscreen, with only his out-of-proportion hand, clutching a Coke bottle, seen.

But Jason Zada, the founder of the AI studio Secret Level, one of the three Coca-Cola collaborated 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 a commercial is not as easy as just pressing a button, and Pratik Thakar, Coca-Cola’s vice president and global head of generative AI, explained that the company is bridging its “heritage” with “the future and technology” with the next-gen campaign.

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

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

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

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

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