HomeNews UpdateToys ‘R’ Us’ ‘Creepy’ AI ad feels like the death of creativity
Toys ‘R’ Us’ ‘Creepy’ AI ad feels like the death of creativity
June 26, 2024
Toys ‘R’ Us was once a bastion of childhood experience for many (myself included). When it met its untimely end in 2017, I felt like a piece of my youth had been lost. As of 2022, the once-iconic toy retailer is on its way back into the realm of relevance, but I fear its latest AI ad may have undone all that hard work.
Given the rise of AI art generators, I guess it was only a matter of time before AI advertising appeared. But Toys ‘R’ Us’ AI ad isn’t exactly the slick, semi-dystopian marketing I was expecting—by the looks of it, we’re still a little way off from that.
Created by Toys ‘R’ Us Studio in collaboration with creative agency Native Foreign, the one-minute spot tells the story of company founder Charles Lazarus, who imagines the magical world of Toys ‘R’ Us. It sounds like a beautiful story at its core – but told through the medium of AI, it feels a little odd (to say the least).
Despite using an enhanced version of Sora AI that isn’t yet publicly available, the ad has all the hallmarks of a slightly unusual artificially generated video. From the creepy-looking young Mr. Lazarus to the slightly nightmarish toy-filled void, the ad has a certain unsettling quality that not even Geoffry the Giraffe can redeem. Creepiness aside, it’s a fairly generic ad with cheesy imagery and a cheesy score in an obvious attempt to tug at our sensibilities.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Not surprisingly, the internet was quick to voice its strong opinion. One X user wrote, “This Toys ‘R’ Us commercial was created entirely using artificial intelligence, which means the kid is gross and creepy, the emotions are hollow, and the Toys ‘R’ Us brand is dead for at least the third time.” Another user suggested it could be a potential “hyper-capitalist attempt to generate press through controversy,” tweeting, “It’s so outrageously bad, it just baffles me.”
Toys ‘R Us used to be just financially bankrupt. Now they’re morally bankrupt too pic.twitter.com/98ieE8h6nF25 June 2024
goodnight AI kid in Toys R Us commercial that exists simultaneously in the past and present, not sure which, the commercial made absolutely no sense pic.twitter.com/OUzQne4DlI26 June 2024
Of course, any AI integration by major brands is bound to cause controversy, especially in the wake of AI laundry and AI art training. While this controversial AI ad is a disappointing move by such a storied brand aimed at children, we should remember that AI has the potential to be a creative co-pilot and is not a direct threat to creative careers, provided we use it imaginatively and consciously.
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