In recent years, Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds has been busy kicking off a variety of marketing ventures – from Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile to his own agency, Maximum Effort. With his signature humor and spunk, he has that je ne sais quoi that can carry even the stupidest of scripts with panache.
Maybe that’s why his latest ad for Mint Mobile is so disturbing.
Featuring AI-generated copy that seems uncannily authentic, the segment raises the question of whether AI can write Ryan better than Ryan can.
The assignment
In the minute-long video ad highlighting Mint Mobile’s extended holiday promotion for its wireless service, Ryan starts off by explaining that he asked conversational AI model ChatGPT to write an ad script for him that met three criteria:
- Include a swear word
- Include a joke
- Mention the campaign was ongoing
He then proceeds to read aloud the script. The results are, to quote the man himself “mildly terrifying” – sounding almost indistinguishable from the tenor of past ad scripts actually written by Ryan.
The ad is an eerie reminder of the creeping power of automation in creative spheres as tools like Chat GPT begin to gain traction.
The rise of Chat GPT
The campaign comes just as Chat GPT has announced plans to launch a monetized version of its services. The tool is relatively new to the scene, having been released just this November, but has already made waves for its rapid production of neat copy. According to most recent data, the tool boasts over a million daily users for its free version, while the professional version of Chat GPT remains in experimental stages for the time being. Anyone seeking to use it must request to join the waitlist.
Stakes are high for the success of Chat GPT as parent company OpenAI continues its foray into the market. Rumors have circulated that Microsoft is considering a $10 billion investment in the company, which has already received $1 billion in backing. But it remains to be seen whether OpenAI will turn over sufficient profits to endure as current projections put its estimated 2023 profits at less than $200 million.