How top companies use generation AI to reform culture and innovation

In March 2023, Coca-Cola launched a “Create Real Magic” one-month campaign to rethink the role of generator AI in the workplace. The company partnered with Openai and Bain & Company to ask digital artists around the world to use AI to remix iconic Coca-Cola visuals. Thousands of submissions are poured in, each reflecting a personal view of the brand's timeless identity. Coca-Cola showed many of the AI-generated works on the large digital billboards of Times Square and Piccadilly Circus. This was a creative invitation that allowed the public to take part in storytelling and put the brand's legacy assets, like contour bottles, into the hands of everyday creators. The campaign was officially executed until the end of March 2023, but opened a broader conversation about how generative AI influences not only marketing but also corporate culture, innovation and leadership strategies.

What did Coca-Cola learn from using generated AI in public campaigns?

The experiment was successful. Coca-Cola has proven that by inviting public collaborations, it creates global engagement. People all over the world have helped shape the brand. That level of inclusion helped deepen emotional investment and positioned the company as positive without letting go of what made the brand special.

Coca-Cola also learned that using AI can dramatically speed up content production. What traditionally takes weeks to produce can now be made in days or hours. This allowed the marketing team to be more flexible and easily test creative ideas in real time.

Still, speed does not automatically equal success. The company released a fully AI-generated holiday commercial in late 2024. Many viewers have found that Coca-Cola ads are known for their heart and warmth. Some called it “dystopia,” while others said it made me feel sick. AI can often feel that way, but Coca-Cola defended the effort as an experiment that fuses human and AI creativity. This response emphasized that it was important. Consumers may enjoy AI-driven content, but they expect brands to feel human.

What important questions should companies ask before starting a generation AI project?

Coca-Cola's experience points to a deeper layer of strategic reflection that many companies have overlooked. Leaders planning their own generative AI initiatives should embrace curiosity and consider these questions.

What internal functions do you need to build first? Before the campaign began, Coca-Cola had already begun training internal teams, building literacy for generation AI tools and partnering with experts. AI integration must be part of the culture.

What creative processes should belong to humans? Coca-Cola chose to enhance AI by selecting specific assets, but did not overhaul everything. They were careful about when and where the generated AI could contribute. That's an important balance. You don't need to automate every part of your business and generate all the content.

Are you prepared for legal and ethical questions? This is one of the most difficult aspects of working with AI, especially when it comes to intellectual property, data use and contributor rights. Coca-Cola has retained ownership of the generated content and revealed that the submissions are for non-commercial personal use only. That clarity is important. It sets expectations and protects your brand.

Does this coincide with the way people experience our brand emotionally? This is where perception plays a powerful role. Campaigns create scale, but if you feel hollow, it can undermine long-term trust. The goal of using generator AI is to strengthen connectivity and maintain reliability.

How did Generation AI impact Coca-Cola's internal culture and HR?

The campaign had a significant effect internally. Coca-Cola used the campaign to generate new momentum for digital conversion. It sparked excitement across the department and gave HR the opportunity to tackle upskills.

Teams were encouraged to try out AI, apply it to their roles, and explore what it would mean for the future of their work. HR played a central role in coordinating training, managing the ethical deployment of new tools, and supporting inter-functional change management.

It also influenced the branding of Coca-Cola employers. By introducing this kind of innovation, the company has become more attractive to creative and tech-savvy talent. The candidates saw Coca-Cola not only as a legacy brand, but as a place where modern ideas can flourish.

How can HR leaders prepare for generative AI opportunities like Coca-Cola?

There are real practical steps that HR teams can take to preempt these opportunities. Coca-Cola didn't wait until the campaign was made public for personnel. Other companies can do the same by focusing on five key areas.

Start by building a culture of curiosity. Encourage teams to explore, ask questions and experiment with AI in a safe way. One effective way is to try out a variety of AI tools to team members and present their findings in a casual peer sharing session. Lowers entry barriers and increases comfort levels.

We will partner with Legal to set clear internal guidelines. People need to know where to use the generated AI, which data is off limits, and how to maintain transparency. HR is in a great position to co-author these boundaries and help the team apply them.

It offers streamlined training focusing on how AI works and where it fits into your daily role. Employees don't need to be coders to use AI effectively, but they need to understand their capabilities and how to ask better questions when manipulating them. HR can incorporate this training into leadership development programs or onboarding.

Update your talent strategy and recruitment language. If a company uses generated AI in public campaigns or product innovations, it should be part of the employee's value proposition. It informs a pioneering culture and attracts people who want to work in such an environment.

Address the emotional impact of change. Some employees may feel excited, while others may feel uncertain. HR can play an important role in creating a space for open conversations about what this technology means for people's roles, expectations, and future development.

What should leaders take from Coca-Cola Generated AI Campaign?

Generic AI changes how creativity occurs, how teams work together, and how leaders define success. Coca-Cola has shown what is possible when organizations invite experiments, collaborations and create spaces to use technology to support meaningful contributions. People continue to be interested in what AI can do, but they want emotionally realistic and culturally relevant content. AI will not replace storytelling. Redefine how stories are constructed, shared and scaled. Companies who want to follow this path do not need global campaigns. They need a clear commitment to curiosity, a foundation of trust, and an HR strategy that uses AI to support meaningful work and long-term growth.