Several stalls at this year's Manchester Christmas Markets have faced criticism over their use of artificial intelligence to advertise bratwurst, cakes and cookies, prompting some traders to defend the practice and at least one to plan changes for next year.
The markets officially opened on Friday with more than 200 stalls across ten locations, including Market Street, St Ann's Square and New Cathedral Street. Most will run until December 22, with the return of the giant 'Zippy' Santa outside Albert Square, the big wheel, a helter skelter, and a new food and drink destination at Lincoln Square.
Social Media Backlash
At the weekend, Manchester Evening News lifestyle reporter Dianne Bourne shared on X the cost of bratwurst at one stall on the first day, writing: "Sausage prices remain stable this year - you're looking at paying £8 for a German Bratwurst at the Manchester Christmas Markets." The post included a photo showing AI-generated posters of currywurst and hot dogs at a stall.
In response, one person asked: "Can we all agree to boycott places with those awful AI posters?" Another commented: "£8 and they can't use a bit of it to pay a ****ing graphic designer." A third wrote: "I don't care how much they cost… if I get a single sniff of AI slop from these posters, I wouldn't spend a penny on them." Others urged vendors to "TAKE ACTUAL PICTURES OF YOUR FOOD," and one wondered "what % of Christmas market stalls will use AI slop this year, surely north of 80%."
Traders Respond
The Manchester Evening News approached the Bratwurst King stall, which has four locations at this year's markets. A staff member who identified himself as an owner said: "In Germany, AI is everywhere and people do not seem to mind about it as much, but the people in the UK have had a bigger reaction. It is the first year we have used it like this, but we have tried to make sure everything looks right. We have already taken some images down because they did not look the same. We understand that some people do not like it, and we have had a few people come up to us and tell us that we shouldn't be using AI."
He added: "At this point, we have already paid for the posters and we cannot replace them this year, but we are already planning to go back to photos next year. That is the plan."
Videos of stalls have circulated on social media, with some reaching over 100,000 views each. In one TikTok video, content creator @hopefullygiggingsoon compared the use of AI to an 'epidemic', saying he felt they were reaching 'new levels of AI sloppification'.
Defending the Images
One stall, featured in several videos and with locations at Albert Square and St Ann's Square, defended its use of AI. A woman who said she was the owner and asked not to be named explained: "There are a lot of stalls and even shops and restaurants doing it now, it's not just us. I think they are realistic to what we sell, we are not misleading people."
She said she had not seen the videos or social media posts and had not heard of any customers complaining. "I can see why some people might have a concern about AI in general, but nobody has said anything directly to us," she added. "We are a local business, and I do think that people and the press like to be very negative about the Christmas Markets when they could be more supportive. We got the posters printed locally, so we are still paying for them. It's not like it is free."
Manchester Council, which organises the markets, declined to comment, saying it was a matter for individual traders to respond to.
