In an unconventional move, Kraft brand Lunchables designed a new advertising campaign to promote its Dunkables products while determining which was more creative – artificial intelligence, or children.

Artificial Intelligence vs kids’ imagination

Using the prompt, “Imagine our Dunkables Mozza Sticks or Pretzel Twists as something fantastical,” Lunchables challenged kids and AI to create original artwork. The results were remarkable. Each of the kids let their imaginations run wild, drawing scenes that featured outrageous and whimsical characters such as “pretzel ninjas fighting” and “peanut butter-spewing dragons.” However, every image generated by AI only depicted the food items in strange shapes – it didn’t branch out into anything extraordinary.

Alyssa Cicero, senior brand manager for Lunchables commented:

“Today’s kids are among the most creative generation of our time, and we are proud to get a front-row seat to their imaginations with our new Dunkables snacks… At a time when artificial intelligence technology is rising in families’ lives, our commitment to fostering kid imagination and providing more than just fuel for their bodies is more important than ever.”

As part of the intiative, Lunchables is also opening the floor for kids across the nation to submit their own artwork in order to win a chance at becoming its new “Dunkables Head of Imagination.” One lucky child will win a trip to Lunchable’s Chicago headquarters where they will join in “imagination sessions” to develop new brand content, taste-test new snacks, and experiment in the Dunkables kitchen. In addition to the trip, the winner will receive a year’s worth of Dunkables and a cash prize.

AI is a tool, not a replacement

As businesses increasingly incorporate AI-generated content into their marketing campaigns, many people are concerned about what the future of marketing will look like, and how AI may take the place of human creatives. But as the AI vs KI campaign shows, no matter how sophisticated AI currently is, it still can’t compete with human ingenuity: “Nothing out-imagines kids,” and AI knows it.