Is the eToro Olympics advert made by AI? What eToro has said and how it was made

• eToro’s ‘Be the Investor you want to be’ campaign debuted during Olympics 2024. 
• The advert is entirely made by AI-generator video tools. 
• Actors raise concern that if practice becomes widespread it may lead to reduced opportunities. 

If you’ve been watching the Olympics on Eurosport or Discovery+ during the early days of Paris 2024, you might have noticed a rather peculiar advert. That is if you’ve not been out of the room, using the break in action as an excuse to make a cuppa. 

The advert in question is from the financial services platform eToro and while out of the corner of your eye it may not look particularly remarkable. It is only when you actually give it your full attention that it starts to appear off and uncanniness becomes clear. 

Because while it may at first glance look like it’s just the usual advert, featuring a number of ‘users’ of the product being promoted, it is actually much sinister. It is completely made by generative-AI (artificial intelligence) - and I hate it. 

Is the eToro advert made by AI? 

Screen grab from eToro's 'Be the investor you want to be' advert via YouTube. Photo: eToro | eToro/ YouTube

Yes, if you had noticed something particularly uncanny about the current eToro advert airing during Olympic coverage, it is in fact made by AI. Titled ‘Be the investor you want to be’ it debuted during the opening ceremony on Friday, 26 July. 

Just like the generative images which have polluted social media platforms (Facebook in particular) over the last few years, the footage gives itself away upon closer inspection.  If I was inclined to give the advert any credit (and I am not) at least none of the fake humanoid beings in the 30-second spot have six fingers on a hand.

But large parts of the advert come across as surreal, especially once you notice the 10 foot tall flowers and the fact most of the men have exactly the same face but with different hair.  The advert was made with LTX Studio, which is prominently displayed in the corner at least, a set of AI-tools that can generate videos and edit. The Drum reports that all of the elements of the video - including the script, music and footage - was AI-generated. 

What has eToro said about the advert? 

Speaking to The Drum, eToro’s chief marketer Nir Smulewicz said: “The process allowed us to imagine without the boundaries that we usually have in real life. It gave us the freedom to dream, to iterate and to add more elements during the editing process.” 

Although he did admit to a few teething issues, saying: “We are still very much at the beginning of the journey with AI and we learned a lot from this campaign. This campaign is definitely an early experiment; however, we are thrilled with the outcome, and we look forward to integrating further AI initiatives across our marketing efforts.”

‘I hate this pointless advert’ 

Look, this was bound to happen and it undoubtedly won’t be the last time a company uses AI to cut corners and costs when making an advertising campaign. But that doesn’t change the fact that it is deplorable and every time one pops up, the company responsible should be shamed as much as possible. 

Beyond the fact that I (as a creative) am revolted by the idea of an AI-generated advert, it is more infuriating at how pointless this particular one is. At least if you are going to AI-tools to make a video, make something that you couldn’t if you’d hired people to make an advert. 

Instead, eToro opted for a 30 second clip quickly jumping between people (often with the same face) walking or sitting in recognisable, if you squint, city settings. This could have just as easily been done by humans, in fact you have not only deprived actors of work, seemingly a composer, writers, directors, editors, have all lost out on a paid gig - which really riles me up. 

Add on the top of that the environmental toll generative-AI takes with its high demand on data centres, which Google has admitted has played a role in its carbon emissions going up over the last five years. Sure you might save a few quid, but is it worth it? 

There is obviously a place for artificial intelligence and computer learning in creative processes, but using an AI-generator to cut out a whole team of people and avoid having to pay them, just sits really wrong with me. Perhaps I am coming across as self righteous, but if people don’t bang this drum eventually we will be overwhelmed by a tidal wave of slop. 

But I don’t think I am alone, at least given the wider reaction to the advert. In the comments on the video on YouTube, one person posted: “What if the investor I want to be doesn't support embarrassing, low effort, AI advertising?” 

While on Reddit, one user in the r/acting subreddit slammed it, writing: “It sets a dangerous precedent for the creative industry... If more companies start not bothering to hire actors for their commercials, our opportunities will shrink.” 

What do you think, did you notice that the advert was AI? Do you agree with our tech writer’s impassioned reaction to it - reach out and let him know by emailing [email protected].