Japanese beverage giant ITO EN, known for its green teas, has stirred the marketing world with its latest TV ad featuring an actor unlike any other – one completely generated by artificial intelligence.
The 15-second commercial for ITO EN’s new Oi Ocha Catechin Green Tea showcases a remarkable transformation as a cheerful, gray-haired woman skips towards the camera, bottle in hand. As the scene shifts, viewers witness the same woman, decades younger, enjoying a refreshing sip. This stunning visual feat is not the product of Hollywood magic, but of cutting-edge AI technology.
ITO EN partnered with AI model, a company specializing in creating AI-powered performers, to develop the digital actress. This marks a significant first for Japan’s advertising landscape, raising questions and sparking excitement about the future of marketing.
The ad, with its tagline “The time to change the future is now,” promotes the health benefits of the catechin-rich green tea, suggesting it can help viewers stay youthful and energetic. The innovative approach has garnered over half a million views and divided audiences.
“It’s so realistic! I couldn’t tell it wasn’t a real person,” enthused one viewer on social media. “This is the future of advertising – engaging and personalized,” echoed another.
However, some netizens expressed concerns. “Will AI replace human actors altogether?” queried one. Others raised ethical questions about the potential objectification of AI models and the blurring lines between reality and digital manipulation.
ITO EN remains tight-lipped about the cost and specifics of the AI actor creation, only mentioning a collaborative effort with AI model and confirming the model’s legal copyright and ethical considerations.
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Beyond the immediate buzz, the ITO EN ad signals a potential shift in the advertising landscape. While AI-generated influencers and models have been making waves in fashion and music, their mainstream incorporation into commercials is still nascent.
This bold move by ITO EN could pave the way for a new era of personalized and hyper-realistic advertising, blurring the lines between reality and fiction, and raising significant ethical questions along the way. Whether this sparks a creative revolution or ignites anxieties about our digital future remains to be seen, but one thing is certain – It has served a piping hot cup of controversy alongside its green tea, and everyone’s taking a sip.
Japanese Tea Company Using AI Model in TV Ad Going Viral! 🤖
Video: ITO EN pic.twitter.com/a2vehQvucb
— Villeve (@villeve_ai) December 25, 2023
