This article is part of a recent series on the latest technological advancements. Read more in the series to help understand how technology is changing society.

Santa, polar bears, and a crisp bottled Coke—this image is engraved in people’s minds as a Christmas staple. Coca-Cola’s classic holiday commercials are something the company does every year, and they have become a major part of its brand. The company has even been credited with shaping the big, bearded, red-and-white image of Santa Claus we all know and love. These Christmas commercials typically showcase actors or animated characters. This year, however, Coke decided to use a different approach to its ads: AI. 

The surge of artificial intelligence has slowly but surely made its way into the digital art world. Companies such as Secret Levels, Silverside AI, and Wild Card were involved in the making of the advertisements.  Different AI models were used that Secret Level founder Jason Zada said help make the human motions “more realistic.” 

This isn’t the first time Coke has used AI to aid in an advertisement. They used it in 2023 in the “Masterpiece” advertisement, but why weren’t people upset with this? Viewers say the ad “The Holiday Magic is Coming” along with the other two made by the company are soulless and “devoid of any creativity.”

Intro to Visual Art student Sienna Zimmerman said that the commercials hold nostalgia to viewers. “It took away the magic for some people,” said Zimmerman. 

The ad was meant to pay homage to the 1995 commercial “Holidays are Coming.” In this, there are Coca-Cola trucks driving through a mountain town. People are hanging up Christmas lights and the passing trucks help to light up the city. Real actors are featured throughout the commercial as well as an animated classic Coca-Cola Santa on the back of a truck. 

In the only 2024 ad remaining (out of the three originally published), there are nods to the 1995 commercial lacking the same “magic.” It starts by saying “Generated by Real Magical AI” and then proceeds with clips from the nighttime, a forest, a polar bear in a lake, and a Coke bottle being opened. You then start to see the Coca-Cola trucks with wheels that don’t move, distorted shapes, and reflecting lights in buildings that don’t make sense. More animals are scattered throughout the commercial in ways that don’t make sense. Zimmerman mentioned how there are tons of small details in the ad that take away the realism of it. Some viewers say it is “rushed” and “choppy.”

Coke produced two other advertisements that aren’t available on YouTube anymore. These had tons of backlash from viewers because of the people featured in the commercial. These AI-generated characters had lifeless smiles and “uncanny imagery,” according to viewers. The people do barely any movements and are featured at the end of the commercial in a big crowd holding Coke bottles.  

A Coca-Cola spokesperson said in response to the backlash that they are “always exploring new ways to connect with consumers and experiment with different approaches.” They stated that the collaboration of humans and AI was used, but they remain dedicated to “creating the highest level of work” using humans and AI. 

Besides the fact that viewers were bothered by AI being used, artists used this as an example of why many of their jobs are being threatened by AI. Alex Hirsch, the creator of “Gravity Falls,” commented on an X post “FUN FACT: @CocaCola is ‘red’ because it’s made from the blood of out-of-work artists! #HolidayFactz.” 

Their laziness in using AI for their classic holiday ad is one of the many ways AI is infiltrating our digital world. It affects the artists and upsets the people who find comfort and nostalgia in something such as advertisements. Zimmerman said that AI provides a way to make “perfect art,” something a human couldn’t do. It makes you wonder, is this a testament to our society advancing, or to the carelessness within it?