Toys“R”Us Gets Ripped Apart For Ad Created From OpenAI’s Sora AI Video Generator
Video screenshot via Toys“R”Us
Toys“R”Us, the iconic toy retailer making a comeback after its 2017 bankruptcy, attempted to tap into customers’ nostalgia with a brand film about its origin. However, the spot, entirely created using OpenAI’s Sora artificial intelligence video generator, has been giraffing online criticism instead of warm reminiscing.
The 66-second video, crafted by Emmy-nominated advertising agency Native Foreign, depicts the company’s origin story, featuring a young Charles Lazarus, the brand’s founder, alongside its mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe.
Developed using OpenAI’s breakthrough video creator Sora, the advertisement aimed to be innovative. Alas, the uncanny valley effect took hold. Viewers found the visuals unsettling, with Charles Lazarus’s AI-generated face appearing distorted and the movements unnatural.
“The kid’s eyeglasses change three times,” a DesignTAXI reader comments.
Others have expressed concern that AI would replace human actors, writers, and designers in the advertising industry.
jfc this is an abomination from @ToysRUs. As if it wasn't bad enough that they're using an AI tool trained on the plagiarised work of thousands of artists and unlicensed IP, they're clearly too cheap to use real creators and child actors. Makes a strong statement in itself about… pic.twitter.com/O3NfaUcLzn
— Theo (@tprstly) June 25, 2024
How many gallons of water were wasted to make this abomination of stolen art and images?
— Carolyn Hinds 🇧🇧 #FreePalestine #CongoInCrisis (@CarrieCnh12) June 25, 2024
Imagine these companies, fricking Toys R Us, paid to have thousands of images stolen from artists, to make this ugliness. I hope their stock plummets to the depth of hell. https://t.co/3U7nMYnBxT
“If they had just dropped a video of a toymaker drawing a design with the caption ‘Toys”R”Us supports creatives over AI’ we would have all come running,” game artist Del Walker points out.
“It’s an extremely lazy use of the technology mixed with terrible ‘filmmaking,’” says designer Chad Ashley.
goodnight AI child in the Toys R Us commercial who exists in the past and present at the same time, i'm not sure which, the commercial made absolutely no sense pic.twitter.com/OUzQne4DlI
— Dave Jorgenson (@davejorgenson) June 26, 2024
[via Decrypt and Forbes, video and cover screenshot via Toys“R”Us]
