Businesses on edge: Are ChatGPT ads deceiving customers?

Ever wondered why your eyes instantly roll back when you spot one of those slick AI-generated flyers plastered on the local coffee shop window or the upcoming craft market? Well, you’re not alone—and honestly, it’s not just you being picky. Businesses might think whipping up an AI flyer is a savvy shortcut to save time and cash, but apparently, customers are throwing shade and swiping left on these digital adverts faster than you can say “generic.” There’s this whole vibe on social media about how these posters, with their uncanny ‘same-y’ look, are basically advertising “don’t bother showing up.” One viral Facebook rant even bluntly said, “YOUR FLYER LOOKS LIKE GARBAGE,” which, let’s face it, hits different. If you’re wondering if cutting corners with AI graphics might actually be corner-cutting your brand’s credibility, keep reading—because this flyer fiasco is shaking up how we all decide what event, restaurant, or bar deserves our time. LEARN MORE.

A warning has been issued against using generative AI for adverts and flyers as customers share how it gives them a negative impression.

Posters generated with AI are becoming more prominent, advertising events, bars, restaurants, and events like craft fairs or markets.

But while a business might view it as a quick way to put together a flyer for an event, the practice has been met with a cold reception by customers.

Many people have taken to social media to share how if they see a poster which has been generated by AI, then this immediately puts them off going to whatever it is advertising.

404media reported how the flyers often have a particular look to them, with one viral parody of them shared on Facebook even reading: “YOUR FLYER LOOKS LIKE GARBAGE.”

The post said: “Hey if this is your flyer, I’m not going, I’m not donating, I’m not sharing. Don’t ask me.”

People called out the use of AI generated content in flyers (Getty Stock)

Designer Kenzi Green also made a video about the practice on Instagram, including comments that people had left.

One said using AI to generate a flyer is ‘important because it shows who doesn’t care’.

Another wrote: “If you cut corners with marketing, I know you’re cutting corners with your product.”

Green pointed out that while it might be a quicker fix to knock up a flyer for something, the impression that it creates can do more harm than good.

“Your logo, food truck wrap, social media graphics, menus all look AI generated,” said Green.

“People are going to be able to spot that from a mile away and choose the competitor next to you that looks like they actually hired a human being.

“It might feel like you’re ‘saving time and money,’ but you’re actually slowly turning your brand into something generic like all the other brands out there using AI tools.”

Others took to Reddit to share their thoughts on the practice.

People had a negative reaction to seeing the flyers (Getty Stock)

One wrote: “The most egregious ones are for restaurants. Like seriously AI generating images of food just not only tacky, but the AI generated inages of the food looks f**king gross.”

Another posted: “They all look the same – the same garbage, the same crap. You can tell from a mile away when people have used AI to create their flyer. I ignore every last one of them.”

Meanwhile, someone else said they thought it still had one use – it let them know what to avoid.

“As much as I loathe all of the GenAI flyer slop, I’m glad it’s still INSANELY easy to spot and make choices on who to support or what events to avoid, what organizers to avoid, what YouTubers to avoid, etc,” they wrote.