The Internet vs. Coca-Cola AI ads: What happened?

Last week, Coca-Cola released an ad campaign created by generative AI, including a remake of its iconic 1995 "The Holidays are Coming" spot. The ads were crafted with help from three AI studios and large language models. Alongside the ads, the company also launched CreateRealMagic.com, which lets users create AI-driven greeting cards and browse AI-generated content.  

• The Response: While impressive, viewers noted AI's limitations, with some hiccups in the visuals. Critics labeled the AI-generated ad “lifeless” and “soulless,” claiming it failed to capture the holiday spirit. Some described it as "creepy" and mocked the tagline "real magic," calling it ironic for an AI-created commercial.

This wasn’t the only case of AI-enhanced ad news this week. Both TikTok and YouTube released new AI-enhanced platform features. TikTok Announces AI Ad Updates

TikTok is making its AI ad creation tool available to all advertisers through its expanded Symphony Creative Suite. The move is designed to help brands create more effective and customizable ad campaigns. 

• Enhanced Creative Tools: Brands can now generate multiple ad variations using AI-enhanced tools, incorporating videos, images, and sounds. These assets are designed for commercial use and inspired by top-performing TikTok content.
• Advanced Avatars: Symphony Digital Avatars offer stock and custom AI presenters tailored to different demographics, boosting the appeal of ad campaigns.

YouTube Also Announces AI Ad Updates

YouTube’s latest updates to Demand Gen campaigns introduce advanced AI features to help brands boost ad targeting and creativity across its platforms.

• Customizable Creative Assets: Advertisers can use Google AI to animate images from Merchant Center listings and adjust ad orientation for better formatting across platforms.
• Improved Targeting: Demand Gen will use AI to tailor ads to relevant audiences across YouTube, Gmail, and other Google services.

Zooming Out: 

TikTok and YouTube’s new AI-enhanced tools are designed to make creative ad development accessible for brands of all sizes.  Coca-Cola’s use of generative AI shows that this technology isn’t just a tool for startups or emerging players—it’s firmly in the mainstream as an advertising staple. However, the backlash serves as a reminder: those wading into AI-enhanced creative territory must tread carefully. Audiences can spot the machine behind the message. Then again, controversy often drives engagement, and in today’s attention economy, even rage-watching boosts those metrics!

Investigating Misogyny on YouTube: Part 1

“You’re so ugly, please go get plastic surgery.”

“I hate you…itty bitty titties.”

“Why don’t you go and die, BITCH.”

These are not typical song lyrics. But these ARE the lyrics of a song constructed entirely of hateful comments received by musical YouTuber Madilyn Bailey.

Bailey is not the only YouTuber who has made a song like this. There are plenty of examples: female creators taking the hateful comments they receive online and turning them into music. These songs, often catchy and creative, point to a much darker reality—the relentless abuse women face on the platform.

Online harassment of women isn’t new. It’s as old as the internet itself. But YouTube stands out as one of the spaces where this hatred feels particularly rampant. For female creators, hateful trolling has become almost an expected part of the job.

Why has this become such a defining feature of being a woman on YouTube? Read more here.