AI-generated talking animals appear in Jeep commercial
Jeep is airing commercials made with graphics generated by artificial intelligence.
- Jeep recently launched an advertising campaign that utilizes images generated by artificial intelligence.
- Marketing strategies help businesses save time and money.
- Experts compared ethical concerns about the use of AI to those that arose with the advent of technologies such as the internet, television, and photo-editing software.
A bear is leaning against the window of a Jeep Grand Cherokee, and a woman with a microphone is asking him questions. The woman’s mouth is completely out of sync with the words she is communicating. Then the bear starts talking.
Something is wrong.
The opening scene of an artificial intelligence-generated Jeep ad may seem realistic to some and creepy to others. Nevertheless, it generated millions of views on social media.
The video is part of a recent move by Jeep, one of the first (and largest) car companies to use AI-generated visuals at scale in advertising campaigns, to go all-in on artificial intelligence. Jeep’s latest social media ad features incredible things like talking animals and a simple rendering of a Grand Cherokee that evolves over time, with AI-generated visuals taking the lead. This ad was developed in collaboration with Highdive Studios, a renowned advertising agency in Chicago.
The use of AI can be controversial, with critics pointing out that assigning creative tasks (such as advertising dancing squirrels) to trained computer algorithms could deprive humans of potential employment opportunities.
For example, Coca-Cola faced backlash in 2024 for using AI-generated visuals in a holiday-themed ad campaign, with detractors claiming they were lifeless, glitchy and full of contradictions.
Jeep, on the other hand, isn’t alienating people by using AI. In fact, experts who spoke to the Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, said Jeep’s use of AI is commendable, and Stellantis’ marketing chief said it will continue to use the technology.
Expert: I like it
Jonas Wagner, partner and managing director of the automotive and industrial practice at global consulting firm AlixPartners, said car companies should have started using AI visuals to market their products yesterday.
Generative AI models such as Chat GPT, Sora AI, and Google’s Veo 3 are now “at the core of marketing,” Wagner said, adding that he has spoken to ad agencies who are “blown away by the capabilities of AI.”
If the technology is used to replace animators, actors, directors and camera operators, it could save marketing agencies and businesses money, Wagner said.
A recently published study by consulting firm Wagner found that consumer-facing AI technologies (i.e., customer-facing chatbots, AI-powered marketing campaigns, etc.) could save auto companies across industries more than $7 billion annually.
From a marketing perspective, the report states, “Generative AI has been seen to transform automotive marketing by reducing content production costs by up to 60%.”
But technology has to be used well, according to Wagner, and the key is execution.
Wagner said “there are ways” to use AI incorrectly, pointing out techniques that seem clunky or disconnected from the brand on display.
Mr. Wagner said Jeep’s naughty brand identity, combined with the absurd content of the ads (the Appalachian doggy eagle extolling Jeep’s new turbo-four banger is clearly fake), is unlikely to alarm customers or make them feel cheated.
“If we’re going to apply for (AI), we need to make sure that people can recognize it without stamping it as ‘AI-generated,'” Wagner said. “Jeep did it in a way that it was clearly identified.”
Ayala Rubio, associate dean and marketing professor at Michigan State University’s Broad School of Business, praised the ad, saying it was fun and fit Jeep’s brand identity.
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Ruvio thought the talking animals were cute, but he was also impressed by another AI-generated Jeep ad spot. It depicts a Jeep Cherokee passing through different landscapes as it transforms from one generation to another.
“Jeep is all about being innovative. You’re an off-road thrill-seeker and a risk-taker, right?” Rubio said. “So, in this case, it works… It’s all about the future. We’re heading into the future, and the future is AI.”
As for the future, Rubio said he sees AI as another step in the marathon of human evolution.
“It’s very exciting for some people and very concerning for others, but it’s part of the process,” Rubio said.
ethical concerns
Ruvio said concerns about ethics and taste are understandable, but may be a bit of an overreaction to change. Strong reactions to disruptive technologies like AI are to be expected, she said, adding that the current backlash against AI is reminiscent of developments in the internet, television, photo editing software, etc.
“People thought that if we got computers, there would be no universities, there would be no schools…I remember the same conversation about television. When they started using televisions in classrooms during lessons, they said there would be no teachers,” said Rubio, who makes a living by teaching. “AI is no exception.”
1986 Studios, the Hi-Dive ad agency sub-brand that created the Jeep AI ad, pre-empted these criticisms in a note on its website.
“This Jeep Cherokee teaser was built entirely with AI-generated video, an intentional way to tell the story of evolution using the most cutting-edge tools available. …The secret? We didn’t abandon traditional craft. We combined AI with our experts in design, editing, animation, and compositing, and historically sourced Jeep imagery to ground the authenticity of our work.” “We’re not replacing creatives; we’re equipping them with new tools to do more,” the disclaimer says.
Rubio is familiar with concerns about AI replacing jobs and the technology itself, but he’s not as worried as some.
“Anyone who works with AI properly and professionally knows that it’s a conversation, especially when it comes to creative work,” Rubio says. “AI doesn’t replace human input. AI makes human input better.”
Legally, ads using AI are subject to the same advertising standards as other commercials. That is, it must not be unfair, deceptive, or misleading to a reasonable consumer. There are no specific laws on the books that outline how AI-generated visuals should and shouldn’t be used in visual advertising.
Indeed, Jeep revealed its use of this technology in fine print at the bottom of the animal-reviewed ad.
“Fictional. No real animals were used to create this message. Wild animals are not all that kind. If you see a talking wild animal, please contact your doctor. Vehicles depicted throughout are created using AI technology and are for illustrative purposes only. Production models may vary.”
Fiat CEO and Stellantis Marketing Director Olivier Francois said he was excited about the use of AI visuals. To him, AI creatures look just like real animals. The only difference is that the fake animals can talk.
“It’s either real (animals) or fake, but real is risky and fake doesn’t adhere to the vision,” Francois said, adding that while some may criticize the brand for using real animals, traditionally “fake” animated animals don’t look real enough to him.
“Thanks to AI, we can now use real animals, meaning they are not fake,” Francois said.
The animals in the ads aren’t necessarily real, but they are a composite of thousands of images of real animals on which visual generation tools have been trained.
Francois, who is behind some of Stellantis’ most iconic ads, including the 2011 “Made in Detroit” Chrysler ad, said the company quickly incorporated AI into its processes beyond just visual generation.
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Francois said he used AI-generated narration and trained the computer system on the voices of voice-over artists like his friend Kevin Yong, who narrated the 2011 Super Bowl “Made in Detroit.” Yong, a Grand Rapids native, passed away in 2018, and Francois, with his family’s blessing, used an AI model to imitate his voice in another Stellantis ad released in May.
Francois said he was aware that AI technology could give robots some jobs that were previously performed only by humans, but said the creative spirit was still intact.
Asked if Stellantis might one day create a Francois-inspired bot, trained on all the ads Francois created, to take over the company’s advertising direction, he shrugged. Francois answered this in detail, detailing how his day-to-day job of managing advertising for 14 car brands is a job for which no computer is suited.
“Right now, it would be difficult to do that with AI,” Francois said. “Maybe someday it will come true.”
Liam Rapley covers Stellantis and the UAW for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him: LRappleye@freepress.com.
