The company's confirmation
According to a report by ITmedia, relayed by IT之家, some users noticed that KFC's Japanese subsidiary had used images created with generative artificial intelligence to promote two beverages sold on a trial basis at some stores: a cola-flavored drink with ice cream and a melon-flavored drink with ice cream.
Asked about the case, KFC Japan said it could not provide details on the creation of individual products, but confirmed that the promotional images for the trial beverages had indeed been created with generative AI tools. The company declined, however, to answer whether it intended to use the same technique for images of other products as well.
What makes the images recognizable
The starting point of the discussion is not the company statement alone but the appearance of the images themselves. According to the description in the source material, in the cups the ice cubes appear tinted the same intense green as the beverage, while the surface shows a reflection similar to that of gelatin: elements that, according to users, make the photos clearly different from a real photograph.
The company's confirmation thus comes after the detail had already been spotted by the public, not before: this shifts attention from the technical plane to that of transparency toward consumers.
The criticism on X
The negative reactions reported in the source material centered on platform X. Some users judged the images incoherent or visually unconvincing; others expressed concern about a possible discrepancy between what the advertisement shows and what the customer actually receives; still others argued that resorting to AI-generated images could damage the brand's image.
These are users' opinions, not quantitative data: the source material does not indicate the volume of reactions or the number of stores involved in the trial.
What remains to be verified
The available information does not clarify several relevant aspects: it is not known how many images are affected, which tool was used, whether packaging or in-store materials include an indication of AI use, or whether the company has adopted or is modifying an internal policy on the matter.
Also still open is the question raised by KFC Japan itself with its refusal to answer: the future scope of the practice is neither confirmed nor excluded. For now, the case is limited to a product trial and a circumscribed confirmation.
