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Pulled & backlash tracker
21 AI-made ads in the index drew documented public criticism; 8 were pulled or taken down. Each row links to sources.
| Date | Brand / ad | Status | What happened | Tools |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | Warner Bros. (The End of Oak Street) The End of Oak Street x Dogbone Podcast | Pulled | Heavily negative response on Instagram, Reddit and X; reportedly removed from the film's official Instagram. | Undisclosed |
| Jul 2026 | Equinox Equinox global campaign (AI 'false realities') | Pulled | Pulled after Asian creators called it racist and dehumanizing (Ad Age, CNN). | Undisclosed |
| Jul 2026 | Nutnutlook Fang Taozi contact lens ad | Pulled | Taken down in early August 2026 after backlash over an AI avatar vouching for a Class III medical device. | Undisclosed |
| Jun 2026 | Hong Kong Correctional Services Department Obsession (anti-drug PSA) | Pulled | Withdrawn after backlash for glamorizing drugs; CARMA measured 45% negative sentiment; a re-edit was also pulled. | Undisclosed |
| Jun 2026 | SMiZE & DREAM Lil Lean promo images | Pulled | At least four images were removed after Entertainment Weekly asked about them. | Undisclosed |
| May 2026 | Pelicana Pelicana AI chicken-family ad | Pulled | Pulled after criticism that it trivialized infidelity; the brand apologized on Instagram. | Undisclosed |
| Feb 2026 | Svedka (Sazerac) Shake Your Bots Off | Backlash | Billed as the first primarily AI-generated Super Bowl ad; TechCrunch called the reliance on AI polarizing. | ComfyUI |
| Dec 2025 | McDonald's Netherlands It's the Most Terrible Time of the Year | Pulled | Pulled three days after release following 'AI slop' backlash; the Sweetshop CEO defended the seven-week effort. | Undisclosed |
| Nov 2025 | Valentino Garavani DeVain Digital Creative Project | Backlash | Criticized as 'disturbing', 'sloppy' and 'sad' despite clear AI disclosure (BBC, Dec 2025). | Undisclosed |
| Nov 2025 | Progressive Drive Like an Animal | Backlash | Widely called 'AI slop' on Reddit; Progressive said it performed well and was vetted for responsible AI. | Undisclosed |
| Nov 2025 | Coca-Cola Holidays Are Coming (2025) | Backlash | Coca-Cola says 5 specialists refined 70,000+ clips in 30 days; reignited last year's debate (TheWrap). | Undisclosed |
| Aug 2025 | Guess Guess AI model ad in Vogue | Backlash | Sparked widespread debate about beauty standards and models' jobs (CNN, BBC, TechCrunch). | Undisclosed |
| Aug 2025 | J.Crew J.Crew x Vans Instagram images | Backlash | Accused of 'AI slop' and lack of disclosure (The Cut, Ad Age). | Undisclosed |
| Mar 2025 | Volvo Cars (Saudi Arabia) Come Back Stronger | Pulled | Taken down about a week later as 'not in line with Volvo Cars' global guidelines'. | Undisclosed |
| Feb 2025 | trivago trivago x Jürgen Klopp (AI localization) | Backlash | Some US viewers mocked the spot (t-online). | HeyGen |
| Dec 2024 | Skechers Skechers Vogue full-page ad | Backlash | Viral TikTok backlash; Skechers did not confirm or deny AI use. | Undisclosed |
| Nov 2024 | Coca-Cola Holidays Are Coming (2024 AI remake) | Backlash | Heavy backlash ('soulless'); Coca-Cola said it met its holiday ad benchmarks. | Leonardo, Luma, Runway, Kling |
| Jun 2024 | Toys"R"Us The Origin of Toys"R"Us | Backlash | Mixed: CNN framed it as a sign of how far the tech had come; widely debated. | OpenAI Sora |
| Jun 2024 | Motorola Styled by Moto | Backlash | Launched the same week as the Toys"R"Us Sora ad backlash; took about four months to make. | Krea AI, Midjourney, ComfyUI, Hypic, Magnific, ClipDrop, Adobe Firefly, Luma, Udio |
| Apr 2024 | A24 (Civil War) Civil War promotional images | Backlash | Mocked for visible AI errors, such as Chicago's Marina City towers on opposite sides of the river; criticized for using AI in film marketing. | Undisclosed |
| Mar 2024 | Under Armour Forever Is Made Now (Anthony Joshua) | Backlash | Backlash for reusing earlier footage without crediting the original director; credits were added later. | Runway |
Status is derived from the cited reporting: "Pulled" means sources report the ad was removed or withdrawn.