Have you seen the new Volvo ad made with generative artificial intelligence? Go ahead. Watch it. . . . Ill wait.
If you think it looks awful, youre not alone. The physics are all wrong, with hair, sand, and objects going in the wrong direction at the wrong time. The humans look like theyre made of plastic. Their emotions are forced, their expressions deformed, their smiles anything but warm. Instead, they likely fill you with an uncanny Grand Canyon of dread. The lighting is artificial, toono film, digital camera, or grading would produce that unnatural palette. Some people are saying that Volvo made a mistake by not putting a car in the ad, obviously not realizing that currently theres no video generator that can reliably re-create objects. Had the ads creators tried to produce a Volvo, theyd have ended up with a car with morphing proportions and features that change from shot to shot. The ad was made with Midjourney, which is pretty bad, but Sora, Kling, or Luma would have screwed it up too. And while apparently it is fine to create uncanny humans for promotional purposes, Im pretty sure that the Swedish car company wouldnt have accepted a Frankenvolvo.[Image: Volvo Cars KSA]According to Adweek, who spoke to Lion, the Dubai-based creative agency behind the spot, the ad is an effort to reintroduce Volvo to Saudi Arabia after years of pulling back on business in the region. Lions founder and executive creative director, Osama Saddiq, told the publication: The ad is a mélange of technically accurate and culturally resonant renders for Saudi Arabia. AI today is rarely humanizedmost executions are tactical, with little focus on brand storytelling. Our approach was different. We started by crafting a narrative that strategically aligned with Volvos comeback in the region.The issue, of course, is that nothing in the ad feels human, mammalian, or even protozoan. [Image: Volvo Cars KSA]According to Lion, using AI reduced production timelines from months to weeks. That might be enough to sell a business on the technology. And sure, theres a place for AI in current production, but generating entire ads is not itat least not yet. Weve seen this exact issue time and time again with brands that use technology for technologys sake. From Coca-Cola to Toys R Us, brands that use emerging technology as a shorthand for creative innovation usually come to regret it.[Image: Volvo Cars KSA]Im sure some people will protest this ad for its ethical considerations; because they dont like the idea of AI putting people in the creative and film industries out of a job. Thats a real concern. But the reason this ad shouldnt exist is simpler than that: It just looks bad. So heres a piece of advice for ad creators out there: Its time to forget about AI for a few years. Come back to it when its ready, and when you have a good idea for how to actually use it.
