‘Creepy dystopian nightmare.’
Coca-Cola has sparked controversy with its latest Christmas commercial that combined holiday cheer with artificial intelligence.
Paying homage to the global beverage brand’s cherished 1995 “Holidays Are Coming” campaign, the new ad depicts a fleet of cherry red trucks driving down a snowy road to deliver ice-cold bottles of cola to customers in a beautifully decorated town.
This 15-second recreation was possible by using Coca-Cola’s “Real Magic AI” software, resulting in entirely AI-generated visuals, including the characters and festive scenery. The company has stated that the ad is meant to bridge its traditional heritage with future-facing technology.
However, public response was not what the brand was expecting. The ad has instead provoked harsh criticism, with social media users slamming it as “creepy”, “soulless” and “dystopian”, questioning the lack of human resonance in a campaign that has historically provoked vibrant emotional responses.
“The world is so over if the Christmas Coca-Cola advert is made with AI,” one user wrote on X.
“Sad to see this was made with AI generated program,” another wrote in the YouTube comments.
“If the AI is so happy here, maybe let the AI buy this product now,” another added.
“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.”
Some users even encouraged Coca-Cola’s rival, Pepsi, to gain a competitive advantage by launching an actually “authentic” holiday ad.
“The smartest thing for Pepsi to do right now is launch an authentic handmade ad and throw shade at Coke,” a user joked.
Many also highlighted the primary ethical problem with the rise of AI – its negative impact on employers, who will be deemed less “necessary” as a response.
“FUN FACT: @CocaCola is “red” because it’s made from the blood of out-of-work artists!” Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch joked
“This is always what [AI] was going to be used for btw. It’s not some great equalizer. It’s a way for already massively wealthy execs to add a few more mil to their annual bonuses by cutting creative teams entirely & having a machine vomit up the most boring slop imaginable instead.” Megan Cruz of The Broad Perspective Pod wrote:
Coca-Cola’s new ad is especially noteworthy as it offers viewers a snapshot of what future ads will look like if companies continue to embrace AI at a record-breaking speed. However, the ferocity of the backlash demonstrates that it will have to balance its newer technology with human authenticity in order to truly appeal to its viewers.
