The AI revolution in the advertising industry isn't just coming - it's already here

Do you sometimes stop in front of advertising pillars or posters recently to have a closer look? Don't the wide eyes of the oversized person in front of you seem a little too big? Do their clothes or the fruit in their cocktail look a little odd, or the burger in their hand a little too perfect?

It's no longer surprising that advertising posters have been through several rounds of Photoshop. But if you look closely, you realise more and more often that the motifs, products and people probably didn't even exist. Instead, they are completely synthetic illustrations created by AI programmes based on sophisticated descriptions. Easily recognisable errors – such as too many fingers – that have long made it relatively easy to recognise AI images on closer inspection are a thing of the past. Today, a good prompt in the right software can produce a result that is almost indistinguishable from a real photo.

For example, if you walk through Luxembourg City's main railway station today, you will notice that several large advertising posters are completely AI-generated – some with a disclaimer, some without.