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Coca-Cola AI Holiday Ad Sparks Sloppy Eyesore Debate

6/9/2026

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Summary

Rob Wrubel Promotes

Rob Wrubel, co-founder of Silverside, promoted Coca-Cola’s AI-generated 2025 Holiday Caravan ad at the Runway AI Summit in New York City.
The ad’s computerized polar bears and delivery trucks were labeled a sloppy eyesore, prompting headlines that criticized Coke’s AI holiday commercial.
Wrubel said the conversation around the ad became almost as important as the ad itself because it raised industry-wide creative questions.

Summary

Michael Schmelling Rejects AI

Michael Schmelling refused a brand’s request to train its AI on his illustrations.
He warned AI is being “rammed down our throats,” enriching a few on others’ labor.
Stoopid Buddy Stoodios made a Packers promo with Jordan Love, Tucker Kraft and Micah Parsons as action figures.
Co-founder John Harvatine IV said the props were handcrafted, called AI content “slop,” and posted a video.

History

Historical Context

When Paris collective Obvious auctioned the GAN-generated portrait Edmond de Belamy at Christie’s in October 2018, it became the first AI-created work sold in a major auction and drew criticism for using Robbie Barrat’s code without credit. The sale signaled AI’s entry into the high-end art market, a shift that now fuels creator-rights debates around AI-driven advertising.

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Rob Wrubel Promotes

Rob Wrubel, co-founder of Silverside, promoted Coca-Cola’s AI-generated 2025 Holiday Caravan ad at the Runway AI Summit in New York City.
The ad’s computerized polar bears and delivery trucks were labeled a sloppy eyesore, prompting headlines that criticized Coke’s AI holiday commercial.
Wrubel said the conversation around the ad became almost as important as the ad itself because it raised industry-wide creative questions.

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