Latest news with #VML
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
An AI-powered Coca-Cola ad campaign mistakenly invented a book by a famous author
A new ad campaign from appears to mistakenly attribute a non-existent J.G. Ballard work to the author. The section of text used in the ad is actually from a book of various interviews the author gave, published years after his death. This apparent error follows previous backlash over Coca-Cola's AI-generated Christmas ads. Coca-Cola's recent AI-powered advert appears to have got its facts mixed up. In an April campaign called 'Classic," the company aimed to highlight examples where its brand name appears in classic literature. The ad uses Stephen King's The Shining and V. S. Naipaul's A House for Mr. Biswas as examples. However, it also includes a book called Extreme Metaphors by J. G. Ballard, which does not exist. What the advertisement appears to reference is a book called Extreme Metaphors: Selected Interviews with J. G. Ballard 1967-2008, which is a book of interviews with J.G. Ballard that was published in 2012, three years after the author's death, and edited by Dan O'Hara and Simon Sellars. The ads show someone typing out passages from novels on a typewriter, but where Coca-Cola is mentioned, the company has replaced the typewriter font with its iconic red logo. In promotion images of the ad shared with media outlets, the company also shared mocked-up images of book pages that seem to show J. G. Ballard as the author of Extreme Metaphors. 'The sequence of words being typed out by the imagined J. G. Ballard in the ad was never written by him, only spoken, and the only person ever to type that exact sequence out in English is me,' O'Hara, the book's editor, told 404Media's Emanuel Maiberg, who first reported the error. 'What most outraged my eye was the word 'Shangai' being typed. Ballard would never have misspelled the name of the city in which he was born. Seeing the ad triggered an academic neurosis: Had I? I checked my copy of Extreme Metaphors and, thank god, no: It's printed as Shanghai in the original text," he added. VML, a marketing agency that worked with Coca-Cola to create the campaign, told 404Media that AI was used "in the initial research phase to identify books with brand mentions," but the company manually fact-checked and reached out to get permission from the various authors, publishers, and estates. O'Hara said he was concerned the ad would mislead viewers to believe his translation of Ballard's words could were actually the author's real-life prose. 'If you read the text in the ad, you're not reading his prose: You're reading mine, translating his recorded words from French,' O'Hara told 404. 'I've done my best to render his meaning, but that's all I've managed to do. My prose is a pretty poor substitute for the real thing, and I feel anyone seeing the ad and thinking there's nothing special about the writing is both right, and misled to think it's Ballard's own writing.' Representatives for Coca-Cola and VML didn't respond to a request for comment from Fortune by press time. This isn't the first time Coca-Cola has run into issues when using generative AI in its ads. Late last year, the company released a series of AI-generated Christmas ads that was met with criticism online. Some artists, filmmakers, and viewers blasted the ads as eerie, low-quality, and a cost-cutting move to replace creative labor. Many artists and creatives have protested the use of AI in the creative industries, arguing that it risks supplanting human talent and that AI models are trained on creators' work without offering proper credit or compensation in return. One of the ads, intended to pay homage to Coca-Cola's classic 1995 'Holidays Are Coming' campaign, and features AI-generated people and trucks, was slammed by social media users as 'soulless' and 'devoid of any actual creativity.' This story was originally featured on
Tahya Masr
12-05-2025
- Business
- Tahya Masr
ALEXBANK, In Collaboration with VML Egypt, Wins Three Awards at the 2025 Dubai Lynx Festival for Its 'Save Your Money at ALEXBANK' Campaign
ALEXBANK has proudly announced its win of three prestigious awards at the 2025 Dubai Lynx Festival, the region's leading creative platform, for its Financial Inclusion Campaign 'Save Your Money at ALEXBANK.' The campaign was developed in collaboration with VML Egypt, a creative marketing agency and ALEXBANK's strategic partner. ALEXBANK is part of the Intesa Sanpaolo Group, within the International Banks Division led by Paola Papanicolaou. ALEXBANK has been recognized at the 2025 Dubai Lynx Awards, landing 2 awards—a Silver and a Bronze—in the Consumer Services category, and a bronze for the creative use of sense of humor throughout the campaign recognizing its excellence in delivering financial messages in an innovative and engaging way . Nermine Hassouba, Head of the PR & Marketing Communication Department at ALEXBANK, commented on the great achievement: 'Winning three awards at the 2025 Dubai Lynx Festival is a great honor for us. These awards reflect the success of our vision to deliver creative, relatable, and effective marketing campaigns that resonate with the audience and encourage positive engagement the banking sector.' She added, the 'Save Your Money at ALEXBANK' campaign was part of our ongoing efforts to enhance financial literacy and inclusion, particularly among segments of the population that are traditionally unbanked. Our aim is to make a real difference in people's lives through accessible and innovative products like our 'Ebda'' Saving Account'. Mai Azmy, Chief Operating Officer at VML, added: "These awards reflect the power of collaboration and creativity in delivering impactful campaigns that resonate deeply with audience and ultimately drive positive change. At VML, we are distinguished by our ability to transform strategic insights into profound and inspiring experiences that not only drive success but also foster long-term partnerships. Our collaboration with ALEXBANK serves as a prime example of this approach. ALEXBANK launched the 'Save Your Money at ALEXBANK' campaign to promote the "Ebda'" Saving Account. The account can be opened using only the national ID card, with no opening or maintenance fees, and no minimum balance required. It also offers a competitive monthly return of up to 14%, making it an ideal option for various segments of society. The campaign achieved significant success, reflected in a strong uptake of new account openings .
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ACLU ends ‘baseless' lawsuit over deportation of a Honduran mother and her children
May 10 (UPI) -- The American Civil Liberties Union has dropped its federal lawsuit accusing the Department of Homeland Security of illegally deporting a U.S. child and her Honduran mother and sister. "The ACLU dropped its lawsuit on the false claims that DHS deported a U.S. citizen," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Saturday in a news release. The news release referred to the federal lawsuit as "baseless lawfare" against the DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "The truth is, and always has been, that the mother - who was in the country illegally - chose to bring her 2-year-old with her to Honduras when she was removed," McLaughlin said. "The narrative that DHS is deporting American children is false and irresponsible." The ACLU filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana on behalf of Trish Mack, whom the filing referred to as "best friend of V.M.L." "V.M.L." are the initials used to identify the 2-year-old child who was born in the United States but whose mother, whom DHS identified as Jenny Carolina Lopez-Villela, chose to take with her to Honduras. Lopez-Villela illegally entered the United States with V.M.L.'s older sister three times in two years, according to the DHS. She entered in September 2019 with her oldest daughter but was "deemed inadmissible" and was given final orders of removal in March 2020. Lopez-Villela also illegally entered the United States in March 2021 and again in August 2021, along with her oldest daughter. She was detained by ICE in April when arriving with her daughters for a routine immigration check-in at a New Orleans facility. When told she would be deported to Honduras, Lopez-Villela chose to bring V.M.L. with her instead of leaving her with another person to remain in the United States. "Parents who are here illegally can take control of their departure," DHS said of the U.S.-born children of parents who face deportation. They can use the CBP Home app to self-deport, along with their children, and "return the legal, right way and come back to live the American dream," the DHS news release says. The CBP Home app is free and available for all mobile devices. The ACLU did not respond to a request for comment made Saturday afternoon, but in an April 25th news release accused the New Orleans ICE field office of deporting three "U.S. citizen children." Two of those children are Lopez-Villela's daughters, only one of whom is a U.S. citizen, according to DHS. The other child is a 7-year-old who also left when the child's pregnant mother was deported after being arrested in New Orleans in April. That child's citizenship status was neither confirmed nor denied by the DHS, but the ACLU says the child is afflicted with a rare form of cancer. ICE deported the mother who took her child with her despite ICE having been notified of the child's medical needs and the mother's pregnancy, according to the ACLU. The ACLU said the deportations were done "under deeply disturbing circumstances that raise serious due process concerns." "The families had lived in the United States for years and had deep ties to their communities," the ACLU said. They were denied access to their attorneys, which the ACLU says deprived them of legal counsel, and ICE deported the mothers and their children on an early morning flight from Louisiana.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Family of 2-year-old deported US citizen dismisses suit against Trump administration
The family of the 2-year-old U.S. citizen who was deported with her mother to Honduras last month, voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against the Trump administration, one of the attorneys who represents the family told ABC News. "Given the traumatizing experiences the families have been through, they are taking a step back to have full discussions about all their options, the safety and well-being of their children, and the best ways to proceed so the harms they have suffered can be fully addressed," attorney Gracie Willis said. "They are voluntarily dismissing this case to give themselves space and time to consider all the options that are available to them," she added. Last month, a federal judge said he had a strong suspicion that the Trump administration deported a 2-year-old U.S. citizen to Honduras "with no meaningful process." MORE: Trump administration deported 2-year old US citizen 'with no meaningful process,' judge says The U.S. citizen, identified in the filings as "V.M.L," was initially detained with her mother and sister, who both lacked legal status to be in the United States, at a routine immigration check-in in New Orleans last month. After the father of the 2-year-old learned that his family was detained, his lawyer called immigration officials to inform them that V.M.L. is a U.S. citizen and could not be deported, according to court documents. Before the court responded to the habeas petition and a motion for a temporary restraining order, the 2-year-old, along with her mother and sister, were deported to Honduras, according to court filings. In response to the motion, lawyers with the Department of Justice said it was in the best interest of the minor that she remain in legal custody of her mother and that she was not at "risk of irreparable harm because she is a U.S. citizen." U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty had scheduled a hearing in the case for May 16. "The ACLU dropped its lawsuit on the false claims that DHS deported a U.S. citizen," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement on Saturday. MORE: Video Trump faces tough questions over upholding the US constitution "The truth is, and has always been, that the mother -- who was in the country illegally -- chose to bring her 2-year-old with her to Honduras when she was removed. The narrative that DHS is deporting American children is false and irresponsible," she added. Family of 2-year-old deported US citizen dismisses suit against Trump administration originally appeared on
Indianapolis Star
10-05-2025
- Science
- Indianapolis Star
Scientists are growing T. rex leather in a lab. It could be used to make purses.
The next time you go shopping for a new purse, your choices could go beyond traditional materials such as leather, nylon, cotton and polyester to include … Tyrannosaurus rex skin? Yes, the remnants of the prehistoric predator are being used to create synthetic T. rex leather, which can be turned into accessories including purses. That's the plan for a trio of companies – The Organoid Company, Lab-Grown Leather Ltd., and VML – working on "a high-quality alternative to traditional leather that's cruelty-free and eco-friendly," said the collaborators in an April 25 news release. The goal of a "luxury fashion item," hitting later this year, would be the first example of leather developed from an extinct species, the companies said. "With T-Rex leather we're harnessing the biology of the past to create the luxury materials of the future," said Bas Korsten, global chief creative officer, Innovation & CCO EMEA at VML, the agency behind the 2024 Super Bowl "Mayo Cat" campaign and 2023's Mammoth Meatball, made of lab-grown meat. Cosmos 482: Here's when the Soviet-era spacecraft may return to Earth The team at The Organoid Company, a Netherlands-based biotech, will use fragments of T-Rex collagen protein recovered from fossils to recreate the prehistoric protein and engineer the new DNA into specialized cells for leather production. Another biotech company, the U.K.-based Lab-Grown Leather Ltd., will then use those specialized cells to produce skin, made with the T-Rex collagen protein, which is then tanned to form T-Rex leather. "This project is a remarkable example of how we can harness cutting-edge genome and protein engineering to create entirely new materials," said The Organoid Company CEO Thomas Mitchell. T. Rex leather could serve as a more environmentally friendly option to traditional leather and also eliminate "animal cruelty concerns," the companies said. But some detractors consider the project misleading. University of Maryland vertebrate paleontologist Thomas Holtz, Jr. pointed out to Live Science, a science news site, how the lab-created skin won't be authentic because there's no actual T. rex skin or DNA to serve as a basis. "What this company is doing seems to be fantasy," he said. Calling the announcement a "gimmick," Tom Ellis, professor of synthetic genome engineering at Imperial College London, told NBC News, 'I doubt that our knowledge of dinosaur evolution is good enough to be able to design a collagen gene specifically from T. rex." But researchers have found collagen in an 80-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex fossil and that can be used as a template, they say. The Organoid Company is creating a T-Rex protein by using fragments of the T-Rex collagen protein from fossils, the companies said in a statement to USA TODAY. "An important distinction is that (the companies) are starting with the language of proteins, amino acids, rather than the DNA itself," according to the statement. "This encodes what the 3D structure looks like and from this they can then recreate or 'molecularly resurrect' the DNA which is put into special cell lines for leather production." The result of this reconstruction of ancient protein sequences is T. Rex leather, which is structurally identical to T. rex skin. "A biomaterial inspired by prehistoric biology," Mitchell said. Eventually, T. rex leather could be used beyond handbags and clutches to cover chairs and vehicle seats. "The production of T-Rex leather demonstrates VML's commitment to pioneering new grounds and shaping the future of our industry," Korsten said. Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY's Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider & msnider@
