The annual holiday advertisement from Coca-Cola has arrived, but it has not been well-received by numerous consumers and artists due to its use of artificial intelligence.

Coca-Cola’s latest holiday ad, titled “The Holiday Magic is coming,” was released on Monday. This brief 30-second video pays homage to the iconic 1995 holiday ad, “Holidays Are Coming.” Both ads showcase Coca-Cola trucks adorned with festive lights spreading joy. However, while the original featured live actors expressing excitement, the new version features AI-generated polar bears cozily settling in an igloo.

This holiday campaign utilized Real Magic AI, Coca-Cola’s platform for artificial intelligence developed with OpenAI. This system, akin to the DALL-E image generator, gives artists access to Coca-Cola’s historical resources for their projects.

Criticism arises: Artists and consumers express concerns

Numerous artists have taken to social media this week to express their opinions about the advertisement.

Alex Hirsch, the creator of Disney’s “Gravity Falls,” responded to a post about the commercial on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “FUN FACT: (Coca-Cola) is ‘red’ because it’s made from the blood of out-of-work artists! #HolidayFactz.”

This post received over 631,000 views by Thursday morning.

Coca-Cola primarily shared the ad on its YouTube channel, where the video received more than 1,300 comments, most expressing negative feelings. Some top comments included, “Pepsi, now is your chance to make a live-action ad roasting Coke for using AI” and, “Nothing like celebrating Christmas with the most soulless commercial possible.”

Shelly Palmer, a professor of advanced media at Syracuse University, shared through a blog post that the ad “truly sucks.” He likened the video to the 2004 movie “The Polar Express” while under the influence of bad substances.

“Coke wasn’t pushing creative boundaries; they were attempting to use technology to cut production costs and find a way to save millions on what would typically be a multi-million dollar animation project,” Palmer noted. “As it stands in 2024… this isn’t feasible. Perhaps it might be in 2025 or 2026, but not at this time.”

A spokesperson for Coca-Cola stated on Friday:

“The Coca-Cola Company has a rich history of capturing the magic of the holiday season through content, film, events, and retail initiatives worldwide. We continually seek innovative ways to engage with fans and experiment with diverse methods. This year, we created films through a collaboration between human storytellers and generative AI. Coca-Cola remains committed to producing top-quality work that combines human creativity with technology.”

Supporters share enthusiasm for the holiday ad

Conversely, some individuals have expressed enthusiasm about the commercial.

Chris Barber, an AI developer at Silverside AI, posted a shorter version of the Coca-Cola advertisement on X. In his post and a follow-up comment, Barber noted that Coca-Cola enlisted three AI collaborators to conceive and pitch the ad, including Silverside AI.

A spokesperson from Coca-Cola confirmed the collaboration with three partners − Silverside AI, SecretLevel, and The Wild Card − to develop three distinct ads being showcased via various media formats globally.

Barber’s video had received over 18.4 million views by Thursday morning. However, numerous users voiced their disdain for AI’s role in advertising. One comment read, “I despise it. AI has no place in creativity.”

In response, Barber stated, “It’s fine if you dislike it, but I believe there is a place for AI in creativity when used alongside human insight and emotion.”

Coca-Cola’s ongoing exploration of AI

“The Holiday Magic is coming” is not Coca-Cola’s inaugural AI advertisement. Last year, the company launched “Coca-Cola Masterpiece,” which marked the introduction of the Real Magic AI platform.

This nearly two-minute video depicts a Coca-Cola bottle navigating an art gallery and “landing” within notable artworks, including Vincent Van Gogh’s “Bedroom in Arles” and Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring.”

The reception was largely positive, with one of the top comments on the YouTube video stating, “This is far superior to that Christmas ad. This is genuinely good.”

AI usage by other companies

While Coca-Cola is facing criticism for its AI use, it is not alone in this trend.

Last year, Toys ‘R’ Us released its own AI-generated commercial featuring the founder, Charles Lazarus, as a child. This ad stirred controversy due to inconsistencies in how Lazarus appeared across shots.

A more well-received application of AI was Nike’s eight-minute tribute to tennis star Serena Williams. The project, titled “Never Done Evolving,” utilized archival footage of Williams, employing AI to depict over 130,000 games where Williams faced off against a younger version of herself from 1999. This initiative has since garnered various awards, including “Digital Craft: Curation of Data” from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2022.

Note from the editor: This article has been updated to include Coca-Cola’s statement and to clarify that the company collaborated with three AI partners for its holiday advertisement.