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AI ads with 'piss filter' aesthetic annoy consumers
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฎ Finland /Technology

AI ads with 'piss filter' aesthetic annoy consumers

From Helsingin Sanomat · () Finnish

Translated from Finnish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • AI-generated advertisements using a distinctive yellow color scheme and repetitive design elements are irritating consumers in Finland.
  • The ads, often featuring distorted images of celebrities, are created using tools like ChatGPT and are seen as a cost-effective but aesthetically unappealing marketing method.
  • Graphic designers criticize the "piss filter" aesthetic, arguing that while AI can create technically proficient images, the prompts used by many are lazy, leading to generic and repetitive visuals that replace human artists.

Advertisements generated by artificial intelligence, characterized by a distinctive warm yellow color palette and repetitive design, are causing irritation among consumers in Finland. These ads, often featuring slightly distorted images of well-known artists like Juha Tapio and Laura Voutilainen, are created using AI tools such as ChatGPT. While event organizers find AI a faster and cheaper way to produce promotional materials, the resulting aesthetic has drawn criticism.

I know that not all consumers will like it. AI does speed up ad creation a bit, as I am not a graphics professional. Besides, it is cheaper to implement.

โ€” Henri KettunenThe event organizer explains his reasons for using AI in creating advertisements.

The visual style, which some have derisively termed the "piss filter" due to its yellowish hue reminiscent of early 2000s video games, is becoming increasingly common on social media and even in some outdoor advertising. The layout, fonts, and character designs in these AI-generated ads tend to repeat, often combining existing photographs with AI-generated elements against dark backgrounds with bold text.

Generative AI can do anything in terms of aesthetics, but most prompters are not diligent.

โ€” Ville TietรคvรคinenThe graphic designer criticizes the lack of effort in AI prompt engineering.

Ville Tietรคvรคinen, an award-winning graphic designer, expresses concern not about AI itself, but about its use to replace human artists. He argues that while generative AI is capable of producing technically impressive images, the prompts used by many users are uninspired, leading to a "generic" and "lazy" aesthetic. Tietรคvรคinen believes that the AI's learning process, which relies heavily on existing AI-generated content, contributes to this lack of originality, making the visuals predictable and unappealing to many.

It is a tool for lazy people for whom the middle of the middle lane's center marking is enough.

โ€” Ville TietรคvรคinenTietรคvรคinen describes the users who settle for mediocre AI outputs.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Helsingin Sanomat in Finnish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.