SKF advert review
Swedish-American actor exhumed for bizarre, humourless 99 seconds that give us another reason to resent AI
TL;DR
- An AI-generated advertisement resurrects Greta Garbo for a 99-second commercial for Swedish ball-bearings (SKF).
- Garbo, as a teenager, appeared in a promotional film for SKF in 1921.
- The AI version is described as a "Stepford robo-star" and a "Hallmark-greeting-card parody" of the original actress.
- The ad aims to create brand synergy between ball-bearings and Garbo's perceived smoothness, but the author argues her impact was more than just smoothness.
- The use of AI may be a strategy to avoid copyright negotiations with film studios and deal directly with Garbo's relatives, who are potentially amenable to licensing her image.
- The author expresses hope that this "dull AI Garbo" is not indicative of future trends, emphasizing the need for "guardrails."