Colgate promoted its new coconut and watermelon flavored toothpaste with an Instagram ad where fruits float over a blue sky. It seemed harmless, until users detected distorted text on the packaging, typical of images generated by artificial intelligence. Criticism was not long in coming.
The technical flaw that gave away the artificial intelligence 🤖
The details on the packaging showed illegible words and distorted shapes, a recurring error in generative AI models. These systems process visual patterns but do not understand text coherence. The lack of human review allowed the ad to be published, evidencing a technical dependency that prioritizes speed over quality control in design.
Human designers: the species Colgate forgot to hire 🎨
Users asked the brand to hire real graphic designers, not algorithms that confuse a container with a bowl of alphabet soup. Perhaps the next campaign will include a flavor of AI error, with notes of blurry text and an aftertaste of corporate embarrassment. Meanwhile, the ad is already a classic of bad digital taste.