Cruzcampo Lola Flores deepfake ad draws ethics complaints

An advert by brewer Cruzcampo that used AI to bring back to life celebrated Spanish singer Lola Flores prompted compaints about poor ethics.

Cruzcampo released its "Con Mucho Acento" (With Much Accent) campaign, featuring a high-fidelity digital recreation of Lola Flores, a legendary Spanish singer and dancer who passed away in 1995. 

The 1:30-minute advertisement showed a hyper-realistic Flores delivering an empowering speech about cultural pride and "accent" as a symbol of identity.

According to El País, Flores' voice, face, and features were recreated for the ad using deepfake technology and hours of audiovisual material and over 5,000 photographs.

Devised and created by advertising agency Ogilvy and production firm Metropolitana, the production used over 5,000 photos and extensive archival footage to train a generative AI model. A body double (actress) provided the movements, onto which Flores’ face and voice were digitally mapped.

The campaign was praised for its relevance and realism. However, critics argued that the ad manipulated a deceased person to sell alcohol - a product she may not have wished to endorse - and placed words in her mouth she never actually spoke. 

Cruzcampo and Ogilvy emphasize that the project was done with the full consent and involvement of the Flores family.

News, commentary, analysis 🗞️

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