Japanese beverage company draws mixed reactions for using AI-generated actress in TV commercial

Japanese beverage company Ito En has drawn mixed reactions after featuring an artificial intelligence-generated actress in its latest television commercial.

In the 15-second advertisement, a grey-haired woman with visible wrinkles skips towards the camera with a bottle of Oi Ocha Catechin Green Tea in hand.

As the background switches from a futuristic scene to the present day, the actress transforms into an evidently younger woman.

Ito En claims that its use of an AI-generated talent in a commercial is the first of its kind in Japan.

The advertisement has garnered widespread attention online, with one repost on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, clocking about 33,000 views.

Some netizens were impressed by how lifelike the AI-generated actress is, saying they could not tell that she is not a real person.

But others said her “performance” was lifeless and bland.

X user @freetheatoms said: “What this commercial advertises is that this drink is liked by fake people.”

Some also raised concerns over the legal and ethical implications of using AI-generated talent.

X user @Mulboyne said: “The commercial raises the legal question of whether Ito En can own rights to this character. There’s also the broader issue of how far AI-generated characters can take over work which traditionally required employing real models and actors.”