Examining the use of AI tools in the creative process for arts, entertainment and marketing.
Over the past few years, generative AI has gone from a niche technology to a transformative force across industries, particularly in marketing, advertising, and design. What started as an experimental tool for automating simple tasks has evolved into a powerful engine for generating visuals, writing copy, and even producing video. Major corporations have rushed to integrate AI into their campaigns, promising efficiency, cost-cutting, and a level of personalization once thought impossible. For small businesses, this explosion of AI-driven content presents both an opportunity and a dilemma—fall behind and risk losing relevance, or embrace AI and navigate the unknown risks that come with it.
The pressure to incorporate AI is mounting. When major brands roll out AI-generated ads, logos, and even full-scale marketing campaigns, it creates the perception that businesses must follow suit to stay competitive. But the reality is more complicated. While AI can be a powerful asset, it’s not always a guaranteed success, and when used carelessly, it can backfire spectacularly. Some companies have faced severe backlash for replacing human creatives with AI, while others have been caught in PR disasters when AI-generated content veered into the uncanny, offensive, or outright bizarre.
In this article, we’ll examine some of the biggest AI failures in art, marketing and advertising, breaking down what went wrong and why. But it’s not all cautionary tales—AI has also been used successfully when applied strategically and thoughtfully. By the end, you’ll have a better understanding of how to harness AI in a way that enhances your brand without risking your reputation.
Rozemarijn “Rozemarlin” Borkent, is a Netherlands-based artist born in 1987, and listed among the alumni of the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at the Royal Academy of Art (KABK). In their work, Borkent strives to capture the beauty of diversity in humanity and to immortalize the essence of the human soul. In her project “I am that I am,” she portrays the remarkable diversity of humanity in a beautiful, unique, and dignified way. Rather than perceiving cultural differences as a basis for judgment, she believes they should be celebrated as stunning facets of our shared human identity. To achieve this, she employs digital techniques such as Photoshop, morphing software, and AI, inspired by different cultures and time periods.
Borkent is a visionary digital artist and designer who has redefined the boundaries between human creativity and artificial intelligence. Featured in Vogue, Borkent has gained global recognition for her innovative use of AI as a design tool—enhancing, rather than replacing, traditional artistic techniques. By blending fine arts with computational processes, she creates immersive digital artworks that feel both familiar and otherworldly.
Thematically, her work sits at the crossroads of past and present, nature and artifice, heritage and reinvention. At the heart of Rozemarijn Borkent’s work lies a unique fusion of cultural hybridity and timeless elegance. By sampling vintage public domain works, she breathes new life into forgotten artistic legacies, reinterpreting them through modern tools and contemporary sensibilities. The compositions are both bold and soft, strong and elegant, with hyper-stylized portrait subjects that echo elements of historical photography, high fashion, and global beauty standards. Her digital art seamlessly merges historical influences with modern aesthetics, the use of striking makeup, structured silhouettes, and layered textiles gives the subjects a regal, almost ceremonial presence, evoking a powerful balance between nostalgia and contemporary design. Meanwhile, the detailed bold botanical backdrops ground the subjects in a world that feels rich and organic. The result is a dreamlike fusion of eras and influences, where the boundaries between cultural memory and digital reinterpretation blur.
Beyond artistic vision, Borkent is a vocal advocate for responsible AI use in design, emphasizing transparency, ethical implementation, and the necessity of human oversight in the creative process. Her work stands as a testament to how AI, when used with intention, can enhance rather than diminish artistry—unlocking entirely new dimensions of visual storytelling. As AI-generated art continues to shape the creative landscape, Borkent’s approach serves as a guiding force for artists seeking to integrate technology without compromising authenticity.
In December 2024, Coca-Cola unveiled a series of holiday advertisements generated using advanced AI video models, such as Runway and Luma Dream Machine. These ads reimagined the brand’s iconic 1995 “The Holidays Are Coming” commercial, showcasing AI’s potential to recreate and innovate upon traditional advertising themes.
One of the major criticisms was that the AI-generated imagery lacked authenticity and emotional warmth, two elements that are crucial in holiday advertising. Many consumers felt that the visuals had an uncanny, synthetic quality, with some images appearing awkward or slightly distorted—a common issue with AI-generated artwork. This sparked discussions online about whether AI-generated content could ever truly replace the sentimental value of traditional, human-made holiday advertisements.
Another major concern stemmed from the undermining of human creativity in the advertising and design industry. Coca-Cola has historically been known for its iconic holiday campaigns, such as the classic Holidays Are Coming commercials featuring their famous red trucks. By turning to AI, the company raised fears that human artists, designers, and marketing professionals might be sidelined in favor of cost-cutting automation. Many in the creative industry saw this as a move toward devaluing artistic jobs in favor of AI efficiency.
Additionally, some critics pointed out that the campaign felt more like a tech demo for AI rather than a compelling, festive ad, suggesting that Coca-Cola was more focused on positioning itself as a leader in AI-driven marketing rather than delivering a campaign that resonated emotionally with audiences.
While Coca-Cola’s AI-generated campaign did succeed in showcasing the capabilities of generative AI in advertising, the negative reception underscored the limitations of AI in capturing human sentiment, nostalgia, and emotional storytelling—all elements that are essential to successful holiday marketing.
AI-generated fashion campaigns are reshaping the way brands create and present their marketing visuals. Companies like Mango, Misela, and Etro have embraced AI tools to craft promotional images that merge machine-generated elements with traditional photography. This fusion results in striking, cost-effective visuals that push creative boundaries while maintaining a sense of realism. While the opinion expressed online has been mostly critical, Mango may be the leading expert in the fashion industry on AI; years of development culminated in summer 2024.
Mango’s summer 2024 clothing line for teens used AI-driven campaign visuals, featuring an image of a young woman in a two-piece Moroccan print outfit set against the backdrop of a bustling marketplace. At first glance, the image exudes the cinematic quality of a high-budget fashion shoot, with the model’s presence evoking the aura of a movie star. Her intense stance and expression add a sense of drama, making the campaign feel more like a still from an action film than a traditional fashion advertisement. The AI-generated textures lend the image a vintage photo-print quality, further enhancing its timeless appeal.
While the results of AI-assisted campaigns can be visually stunning, they also raise questions about authenticity and execution. AI-generated backgrounds often struggle with fine details, sometimes creating inconsistencies that a trained eye can spot—like the slightly jumbled elements in Mango’s market scene. Yet, AI-powered tools enable fashion brands to explore new aesthetics and storytelling techniques at a fraction of the cost and time required by traditional production methods. By eliminating the need for location scouting, travel expenses, and extensive photoshoots with models and photographers, brands can significantly reduce overhead while maintaining a steady flow of compelling visuals. However, successfully developing, and integrating AI into fashion marketing requires precision.
Consumers expect the product they receive to match what they see in promotional materials, down to the precise cut, pattern, and fabric details. If the AI model is not properly trained—or if images are not refined by a skilled digital designer—misrepresentations could erode customer trust. In an attempt to cut costs, brands that rely too heavily on AI without quality control risk damaging their reputation and alienating their audience.
Mango has been developing AI-driven solutions since 2018, gradually integrating them into its design and marketing pipeline. This effort culminated in the creation of Inspire, the brand’s proprietary image-generation AI platform. Inspire goes beyond producing promotional visuals—it assists design and product teams in developing prints, fabrics, and garment concepts that align with Mango’s seasonal collections. By leveraging this technology, Mango can rapidly visualize ideas, iterate on designs, and ensure that AI-generated imagery accurately represents real-world products.
Still AI-driven campaigns are not without risks. Mango encountered criticism for employing AI-generated models in its advertisements. Consumers expressed concerns about potential job losses and the authenticity of the representations, fearing that AI models might mislead shoppers regarding product appearances. Some customers called for boycotts, urging Mango to reconsider its reliance on AI models to maintain consumer trust and ensure job security.
In June 2023, Marvel Studios faced significant backlash when it unveiled the opening sequence for its Disney+ series, Secret Invasion, created using AI-generated visuals. The show’s intro, produced by AI firm Method Studios, attempted to reflect the paranoia-driven themes of the series, but instead, it sparked outrage among fans and artists alike. Feedback online from fans and artists alike was negative, agreeing that Marvel missed the mark with this endeavor.
Though the creators argued that the use of AI generation was fitting for the theme of the show, the fans were not buying it and the distorted visuals were widely criticized. Many viewers were critical of Marvel for using AI-generated imagery in a franchise that heavily relies on artistic talent and skilled visual artists. The controversy was amplified by ongoing industry debates about the ethics of AI art, especially regarding the displacement of human artists. Given Marvel’s history of outsourcing VFX work to overworked and underpaid artists, the move felt like another blow to the creative community. The timing was particularly poor, as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) were actively striking for better protections against AI replacing human labor.
The opening sequence was met with widespread criticism online, with artists calling it a cost-cutting measure at the expense of professionals who could have created something more visually compelling. The controversy overshadowed much of the show’s initial release, demonstrating how even a high-budget studio like Marvel could face significant reputational damage by embracing AI-generated content in the wrong way.
In early 2025, Activision, the publisher of the renowned “Call of Duty” franchise, confirmed that it had utilized generative AI tools in developing certain in-game assets for titles such as “Black Ops 6” and “Warzone.” This admission came after players noticed anomalies in game visuals, notably a holiday-themed loading screen featuring a zombified Santa Claus with an unnatural number of fingers, leading to widespread speculation about AI-generated content. What’s more concerning is the lack of oversight and quality control being done within the franchise. The sixth finger could have easily been fixed had a human being been reviewing, touching up and approving final graphics.
The player community reacted strongly to this revelation. Many expressed frustration, perceiving the use of AI in asset creation as a cost-cutting measure that compromised the quality and authenticity of the game’s content. One player voiced their discontent on Reddit, stating, “This is unacceptable at this point… They are feeding us slop because they want to pay their millionaire executives a little bit more. It’s ridiculous.” Such sentiments reflect a broader concern that the integration of AI in creative processes may lead to a decline in artistic value and originality.
This issue is part of a larger debate on AI ethics within the gaming industry, as seen in other cases such as Ubisoft’s “Ghostwriter” AI tool, which was designed to assist in generating NPC dialogue. Similar AI-driven experiments have led to both intrigue and backlash, with developers and players alike questioning whether AI should be a tool for efficiency or if it risks diminishing the artistry that makes video games immersive and unique.
The controversy surrounding AI usage in game development is further intensified by industry-wide employment challenges. In late 2024, Microsoft, which had recently acquired Activision Blizzard for $75 billion, announced layoffs of approximately 650 employees from its video game division. These cuts were primarily in corporate and support roles and were part of broader cost-cutting measures. The layoffs contributed to a growing unease among industry professionals about job security, especially as companies increasingly invest in artificial intelligence technologies.
In 2023, the “Make It Fair” campaign emerged in the UK as a direct response to AI-generated advertising and branding. Created by a coalition of artists, designers, and marketers, the campaign aimed to raise awareness about the unethical implications of using generative AI in commercial work. The movement gained traction as major brands were exposed for replacing human designers and illustrators with AI-generated assets.
Several major corporations faced backlash after consumers discovered their ad campaigns were generated entirely by AI rather than human designers. The campaign highlighted how AI-generated branding and marketing material often lacked originality, emotional depth, and cultural awareness. Consumers began boycotting brands that relied too heavily on AI-driven visuals, leading to a decline in trust and engagement.
The campaign also sparked discussions about the devaluation of creative labor. Many artists and designers shared their personal experiences of being replaced or forced to compete with AI-generated work at lower wages. The “Make It Fair” movement forced some companies to reconsider their approach, with several reversing their decision to use AI-only content creation in response to public backlash.
Even the most polished AI-generated ads cause dissonance among viewers and are less memorable than traditional advertising.❞
AI-generated advertisements have faced criticism from consumers who perceive them as inauthentic and less engaging. Research indicates that even the most polished AI-generated ads cause dissonance among viewers and are less memorable than traditional advertising. Customers (and your potential new customers) have become more aware and are more critical of content they believe to be AI generated. Consumers have rated AI-generated ads as more annoying, boring, and confusing than traditional advertising, highlighting the challenges brands face in integrating AI into their marketing strategies without alienating their audience.
So if no one likes AI ads why do brands keep creating them? When executed thoughtfully, AI-enhanced personalization has led to improved customer engagement and satisfaction. Brands are increasingly integrating Generative AI into their advertising strategies to enhance efficiency and push past creative block. The potential power of these tools is too tempting for most businesses of notable size and funds to explore. By now most of America’s skilled workforce has been forced to grapple with AI in their day-to-day work lives, finding ways to integrate it into processes in order to cut turn-around times.
Like a Rube Goldberg machine, automation is something we all enjoy, a satisfying short-cut that often alleviates repetitive tasks. We are all more accepting of AI when it was being used in the background to analyze data, to bypass search engine result skimming, and even predict user behavior. When AI starts to delve into the creative world of audio and visual content creation, the results (without expert level editing) leave a negative impression on the minds of consumers. While it seems as though all normal, logical human beings dislike pervasive AI, corporate entities have been striving to cut down the cost of skilled labor forces for decades.
Adobe Experience Manager rolled out new AI features in 2024 which help streamline asset production and A/B testing for omni-channel marketing campaigns. Companies have utilized AI to generate personalized ad content, streamline workflows, and maintain a consistent brand voice across various platforms. The use of AI as a tool for real human creators allows for rapid production of diverse ad creatives, enabling brands and small marketing teams to stay competitive in a fast-paced market.
While AI presents risks, consumers tend to be more forgiving when small businesses use AI tools compared to large corporations. People recognize that independent entrepreneurs and small business owners face significant financial and operational challenges, making them more understanding when AI is used as a cost-saving tool. In contrast, corporations with billion-dollar budgets are held to higher ethical and creative standards, leading to harsher backlash when they cut corners with AI. However, just because small businesses may not face the same level of scrutiny doesn’t mean the risks aren’t there.
Responsible professionals understand how to balance automation with genuine artistry, ensuring AI is used ethically as a tool to enhance the creative process rather than as a quick replacement for human creativity.❞
Proceeding with caution is essential. If a small business can afford to hire a designer with expertise in AI-assisted tools, that’s a safer investment than diving in blindly. Responsible professionals understand how to balance automation with genuine artistry, ensuring AI is used ethically as a tool to enhance the creative process rather than as a quick replacement for human creativity. But for solo entrepreneurs who have no choice but to handle everything themselves, thorough research is critical.
Not all AI companies operate with transparency or ethical standards, and some raise serious concerns regarding privacy and data security. For instance, DeepSeek—a Chinese-owned AI company—has drawn attention over potential privacy risks, as data-sharing policies with companies based in China can be murky. Other AI firms have faced scrutiny for using copyrighted materials without consent, exploiting artists’ work, or violating privacy regulations.
To avoid potential pitfalls, small business owners should carefully vet the AI tools they use, ensuring they align with ethical practices and data security standards. Reading privacy policies, researching company ownership, and staying updated on industry controversies can help businesses make informed decisions. While AI can be a powerful asset, using it recklessly can create more problems than it solves.
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