Munich faces criticism over AI-generated Oktoberfest traffic reel

The City of Munich has drawn criticism for using artificial intelligence to create a social media video explaining transport arrangements for Oktoberfest. BR reports that the city says a Munich creative agency produced the reel and suggested using AI as a deliberate experiment.

The brightly coloured video shows a pretzel in traditional dress riding an e-scooter through Munich, while another pretzel and a beer stein get into a taxi. Designer Kera Till criticised the city’s use of AI-generated images in an official post by its Mobility Department. Her Instagram post received more than 7,000 likes.

Till said her concern was the message the post sent at a time when the internet was increasingly filled with AI content. She said businesses could decide for themselves whether to use the technology, but expected the city to give the issue more thought.

The Mobility Department told BR that the reel was conceived and made by a Munich creative agency, and that the creative team itself proposed using AI.

Ralph Buchner, a professor of photo design at Munich University of Applied Sciences, said generative AI could threaten designers’ jobs, much as digital photography had made some jobs in the industry redundant. Illustrators focused on a single area could face particular challenges if they did not engage with and use the technology, he said.

Buchner does not believe illustration will disappear. He expects designers to work creatively with AI, while also considering how to sustain their creativity and what inspires their work. Till said she sometimes uses AI for inspiration, but still turns to pen, brush and paper when she has a clear image in mind and wants to work quickly.