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One by one, people appear on brightly lit front porches, each holding a bottle of wine, spirits, or beer.
This cozy winter landscape depicted in NB Liquor’s new ad encourages customers to stock up for the holiday season.
However, neither the smiling people nor the liquor bottles in their hands are real.
The ad was made with artificial intelligence. And now NB Liquor has garnered enough heat for the video campaign that a government minister has instructed it to remove the ad.
An NB Liquor spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the use of AI stems from cost control.
Crown’s minister asked them to withdraw the ad while talking about the future use of generative artificial intelligence.
“AI did not replace our team or creative direction; our concepts, stories, and criteria guided the entire process,” writes Florence Gooton.
“It helped me try different techniques, as well as animation and other creative approaches.”
Luke Randall, the minister responsible for NB Liquor, told reporters that once he became aware of the ad, he asked the Crown corporation to suspend it.
He said the government was reluctant to “intervene” with NB Liquor, but “we’ve heard from New Brunswickers that this is a concern.”
Mr Randall described the use of AI as an “ongoing national issue” and said he had asked NB Liquor to discuss its use.
“It’s always been the intention of this government to support local,” Randall said, but when pressed by reporters, he declined to say whether he had asked NB Liquor to no longer use AI in its commercials.
The ad didn’t sit well with Pierre-Luc Arsenault, a freelance filmmaker and graphic artist from New Brunswick. He worked on a Christmas commercial for NB Liquor last year.
“It’s one thing to lose a contract with someone who’s building something better than you, but it’s another thing to lose a contract with generative AI,” Arsenault said in an interview on CBC Radio. shift.
Arsenault said it was immediately clear that the ad was created using AI.
“The bottles had gibberish written on them, the background looked a little funky, the lighting didn’t make any sense at all. People were acting a little strange and moving strangely,” he said.
Arsenault said professionals typically take time off during the winter, so having a show like last year at NB Liquor makes a big difference.
“I have colleagues who are already considering other job opportunities, and others who have left the industry altogether because they don’t want to be involved,” Arsenault said of AI.
“But it was a little scary to know this because we all know this is inevitable.”
I felt confused, then angry, then sad.
Robert Gray, a film professor at the University of New Brunswick, also had some concerns about the video. He described it as “creatively insulting”.
“One [reason] It’s not employing New Brunswick artists and the current government is talking a lot about the status of artists,” Gray said.
Because of the use of AI in this particular video, he said the ad looks like it could be aired anywhere in the world and actually has nothing to do with New Brunswick.
“It has the least impact and the least amount. It’s like there’s no story,” he said.
“I went from confused to angry and really saddened that there are so many talented artists out there who can do what they do. [have] Recruit quickly and come up with something better. ”
Additionally, Gray said New Brunswick is a place where people rarely, if ever, see themselves on screen. This ad was a missed opportunity, he said.
