An upcoming Christmas event at Manchester's Freight Island has drawn criticism over its use of AI-generated advertising material. The Magic of Christmas UK, running from November 21 to December 24, is promoted as a 90-minute family experience with storybook stops, a chance to meet Santa, and a Christmas village described as being 'built to feel like the inside of a snow globe'.
Advert errors spark complaints
The event's promotional video, used in paid social media advertising, contains several apparent errors. One segment focused on a wishing tree displays messages such as 'i weit axk you fkaistend', while a sign reads 'make a wich' instead of 'make a wish'. Another sign, which one customer suggested was a visual prompt, simply reads 'light up Christmas bell'.
The same video also refers to 'Height Island' rather than Freight Island. Critics have labelled the advert 'bad AI', with one person commenting: "It's not even GOOD Ai! You've obviously put \"arch with light up Christmas bell\" somewhere in the prompt so it's literally generated a sign that says, Light Up Christmas Bell! This video should be marked as Ai content and you should be telling people that it won't actually look like this."
Comparisons to Willy's Chocolate Experience
Others drew comparisons to the viral Willy's Chocolate Experience in Glasgow from February 2024, with one person asking: "So why ai videos? Is it going to be like the Wonka land?" Another said: "I'd be interested if I could see what it was really like without ai," while a further response read: "Hard to tell what something is going to be like with an AI vid!" One person simply wrote: "AI slop."
Organiser response
The event is being organised by Live Republic, not Freight Island itself. In a statement, a spokesperson for Live Republic said: "Like many brands, we used digital design tools and AI to craft the artwork for The Magic of Christmas. We want visiting families' experience to be magical; our promos show what's in store for them, and real photos from next week's photoshoot will be on our website and social channels soon."
Tickets for the experience cost £31.90 per child including booking fees.
