Popeye's First AI-Generated Commercial Backfired Instantly

Ranked above Raising Cane's and KFC as the second leading chicken chain in the United States, Popeyes clearly excels in keeping its consumers fed (and coming back for more). The Louisiana-born brand brought in more than $5.7 billion in sales in 2024. Perhaps that's why it left some customers scratching their heads when the restaurant resorted to using an AI ad campaign to drum up business and take a dig at one very famous fast food mascot.

In July 2025, Popeyes began circulating its "Wrap Battle" commercial on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). Created by AI filmmaker PJ Accetturo in just three days using Google's Veo 3 model, it served as the chain's response to McDonald's bringing back its long-awaited Snack Wrap just one day after Popeyes' Chicken Wraps debuted.

From the rap-style diss track to the woeful (and frankly, terrifying) depiction of a clown literally fighting fires in a kitchen, everything in the video was created using AI. While it may have seemed like a clever and culturally relevant way to take a swipe at Ronald McDonald and his roost, the public response probably did not go as planned. Many customers expressed disappointment in the company's decision to use AI rather than hire real actors and musicians.

Racking up 3.1 million views on TikTok alone, Popeyes' AI-generated jab at its competitor certainly went viral — but for all the wrong reasons. "Y'all can't be serious with this AI slop," wrote one commenter on the company's TikTok post. "Y'all have tooooo much money to sit there and consciously decide to use AI knowing the harm it's doing to people and society. What a shame," lamented another. In response to a YouTube post of the ad, someone wrote, "Imagine if they paid artists to create and perform music, and actors to play parts." The same commenter added with apparent sarcasm, "Then again, Popeyes is just a small indie food place."

This isn't the first time a food brand faced backlash for using AI. In 2024, Coca-Cola turned to the technology to create its annual (and usually beloved) Christmas commercial, and people were not pleased. Meant to pay homage to its 1995 "Holidays Are Coming" ad, the video attempted a play at nostalgia. However folks on social media platforms like X found the result to be "soulless" and "dystopian."

Despite the undeniable discomfort sparked by AI food commercials, companies are still making them. One of the more recent cases was Svedka Vodka's 2026 Super Bowl commercial. Not only did the ad mark the return of the beverage brand's "Fembot" mascot, but the company also billed it as the first mostly AI-generated commercial to be aired during the big game. If Popeyes' and Coca-Cola's attempts were any indication, other brands that embrace this trend are in for plenty of criticism.