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Apple's Christmas advert relies on humans instead of AI

Samuel Buchmann
28.11.2025
Translation: machine translated

While SBB and Coca Cola are being criticised for their AI slop adverts, Cupertino is taking the opposite approach: In the latest advert for the iPhone, Apple makes the puppets dance.

Apple has released its annual Christmas advert. «A Critter Carol» was filmed entirely with the iPhone 17 Pro and demonstrates the camera's capabilities, such as the eightx telephoto zoom. In the film, a group of animals find a lost iPhone in the snowy forest and use it to record a song about friendship - before returning it to its rightful owner.

As always with Apple's big productions, the «Shot on iPhone» slogan should be taken with a pinch of salt. This is because a whole crew, professional rigs and elaborate lighting are used around the smartphone.

  • Background information

    Apple’s keynote was «shot on iPhone» – what that means exactly

    by Samuel Buchmann

In this case, however, something else is striking: instead of generating the cute little animals with a computer, Apple uses old-school production technology. The animals are puppets that are moved and spoken by real people. The lettering is also made by hand from wood.

Humans instead of AI

Of course, it can't be done entirely without digital tricks - the puppeteers wear blue suits and are removed in post-production. Nevertheless, the largely analogue production technique is a clear statement against the trend towards AI slop. «The creative decision to use handmade dolls underlines Apple's commitment to craftsmanship and emphasises the irreplaceable value of human creativity», the company writes.

This is not the first time in recent memory that Apple has relied on people instead of computers for its content. The new intro for its in-house streaming service - now without Plus - wasn't animated digitally, but directly in-camera with colour-illuminated glass. Apple hired singer/songwriter Finneas O'Connell (Billie Eilish's brother) for the melody.

In doing so, Apple is taking a diametrically different approach to other large companies that rely on AI-generated content for their adverts and receive a lot of criticism for doing so. Coca Cola's Christmas advert a year ago with AI-generated humans looked absolutely terrible, for example. This year, the drinks giant tried again and stuck with animals. However, these also look strange in places.

The new SBB advertising posters no longer feature real people either, but AI-generated faces. This is declared very small in the corner with «AI-Generated» Postfinance, Swisscom and UBS are also experimenting with AI advertising. Money can be saved by cutting out photographers and graphic designers. However, it remains to be seen whether the results are of the same quality and whether AI slop is beneficial for the perception of the brand.

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Samuel Buchmann
Senior Editor
Samuel.Buchmann@digitecgalaxus.ch

My fingerprint often changes so drastically that my MacBook doesn't recognise it anymore. The reason? If I'm not clinging to a monitor or camera, I'm probably clinging to a rockface by the tips of my fingers.

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