Coca-Cola mocked for promise of 'real magic' with AI-generated series of Christmas ads

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: As the holiday season kicks into full gear, Coca-Cola has stirred up some controversy with its latest series of Christmas commercials, which were created entirely using artificial intelligence.

While holiday ads are typically a welcome part of the season, this year's attempt by the soda giant has raised eyebrows online. Coca-Cola's new 15-second spots are a modern twist on their iconic “Holidays Are Coming” commercial, first aired in 1995.

Coca-Cola’s new AI-generated holiday ads draw mixed reactions

According to the Whiskey Riff, the traditional Christmas ad featured real people and a festive set, but this time, Coca-Cola has opted for AI-generated content, collaborating with companies like Secret Level, Silverside AI, and Wild Card to create three ads titled “Secret Santa,” “Silver Santa,” and “Unexpected Santa.”

Coca-Cola claims that using AI for these commercials was an “efficient” decision that saved both time and money.

European CMO Javier Meza told Marketing Week earlier this month that the company is trying to keep up with "today's times."

“We didn't start by saying, ‘OK, we need to do this with AI’. The brief was, we want to bring Holidays Are Coming into the present and then we explored AI as a solution to that," he noted.

The brand has positioned this move as an innovative venture into the future of advertising, calling it “an exciting venture into AI-generated storytelling.”

However, the reaction from the internet has been largely negative. Fans of the classic Coca-Cola holiday ads are not impressed with the shift to AI, expressing disappointment that the commercials lack the warmth, charm, and emotional connection that people expect from Christmas-themed campaigns.

Social media reacts to Coca-Cola's AI-generated Christmas ad

Many viewers commented that the AI-generated characters seemed “strange” and “unnatural,” with some describing them as having an "uncanny valley" effect — that eerie feeling when something artificial looks almost human but not quite right.

One user wrote, "Just saw an ai generated coca cola commercial on tv. i dont rly like to talk about this much because it pisses me off but like genuinely how are we letting this happen. i feel like im watching the death of art and our planet unfold in front of my eyes and no one irl seems to care."

Another commented, "The new Coca Cola advert is the most Ai generated video I've ever seen..."

One replied, "Coca Cola remade its most iconic line of holiday commercials into AI. I used to love seeing these ads every year I’m sorry , Grinch, take it away."

Another commented, "Just saw the AI Coca Cola holiday commercial in my feed. It’s a shame that a company that has historically seemed to support the arts has suddenly made such an anti-art turn with their recent campaigns. 2024: America hates good things."

One added, "The world is so over if the christmas Coca Cola advert is made with AI."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.