Netizens are up in arms as Coca-Cola has released a series of Christmas ads using artificial intelligence that did not feature a real person as the Santa Claus.
It should be noted that companies increasingly using AI-generated ads, however, it is quite a challenge for AI to create human beings without creating grotesque distortions or unnatural movements.
The iconic Coca-Cola Christmas adverts first hit the screens in 1995, featuring a red Coca-Cola truck winding through a snowy landscape to the memorable jingle, “Holidays Are Coming.”
This year’s update, an AI-generated version, mirrors the 90s classic with festive red delivery trucks adorned with twinkling Christmas lights and fleeting glimpses of Santa Claus.
The ad also includes brief shots of smiling customers, including one holding a Coke bottle. However, these moments flash by so quickly that viewers barely have time to take them in, as the ad races to its conclusion.
The changes have sparked backlash online. One viewer on X/Twitter lamented, “Dear Coca-Cola, please could you send the Santa Train advert to the UK as they appear to have eliminated Santa from the adverts here! It’s not Christmas without the Coca-Cola train!!! Thank you!”
Others were unsettled by the use of AI, with one viewer saying it made them feel “sick,” and another adding, “The world is so over if the Christmas Coca-Cola advert is made with AI.”
Critics have also called out the rapid pacing, with one person commenting, “10 cuts in 15 seconds, never showing the same thing twice, still looks wrong. Truly a powerful technology.”
Some who hadn’t realized the advert was AI-generated questioned its odd aesthetic, asking, “Why does the Coca-Cola advert look like AI?” Another shared their disappointment directly, saying, “Sad to see this was made with AI.”
