Fried chicken brand Pelicana apologizes after AI ad slammed for 'triviali...

A scene from the now-deleted AI-generated ad for Pelicana fried chicken [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Local fried chicken brand Pelicana pulled an AI-generated advertisement after it drew online criticism for treating infidelity as a comedic premise.

The ad featured anthropomorphized fried chicken characters: A couple welcomes a baby that appears to be a piece of seasoned chicken, leading the husband to suspect the wife of infidelity. A female pelican doctor character, based on the brand's mascot, also appears, showing interest in the husband and attempting to seduce him.

"We sincerely apologize for the discomfort and disappointment caused by the recently uploaded content," the fried chicken company said in an apology uploaded to its official Instagram account on Sunday. "The content was posted without sufficient consideration of the appropriateness of expression and social awareness during the production process, resulting in displeasure and concern for many people."

Pelicana's apology uploaded to the fried chicken company's Instagram [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The ad drew swift criticism online upon release in early May. Users said the video "treated infidelity trivially" and "made a joke out of a provocative premise."

The company said the post has been removed and pledged to strengthen its content planning and review processes to prevent a recurrence.

The fact that it was AI-generated added another layer of criticism, with questions raised over content review standards and ethics.

"The more we are in the AI era, the more important a company's responsible review process becomes," an online user said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.