These Genmoji aren’t quite as fun as the ones shown in Apple’s ad
Apple’s latest ad shows off Genmoji, or at least the idea of generating whatever emoji you want with Apple Intelligence, but the creations shown are clearly not representative of the actual tool.
The playful ad seems to be overselling the potential results of Genmoji, which released with iOS 18.2. While some could be massaged into existence with trial and error, they never met the clean, animated results shown in the ad.
The ad does a great job of selling the idea behind Genmoji, but it may leave viewers disappointed in the real thing. These colorful, sharp, animated creations made by human artists are miles ahead of anything that could be made by Apple’s early attempt at AI.
I tried to prompt Genmoji with what the song lyrics called each object first, then added descriptors to manipulate the results to get as close as possible. In many instances, what was shown in the ad just couldn’t be recreated.
For example, getting an old man in skis seemed impossible and asking for “twelve-sided die” results in a six-sided die. “Chair that can walk” and “Clock that can talk” proved impossible to recreate as well.
The pink “furry cardigan” smacked of too much detail. The real result was much less sweater-like with melted buttons and confused textures.
The ad itself is harmless and raises awareness of the feature, but it emphasizes the artificial nature of AI and Apple’s place in it. When Animoji debuted, it showcased them in whimsical karaoke ads that may have been computer-generated for the ad, but remained true to the expressions and style of the product.
Hopefully, Genmoji will one day be so well-made that Apple can use the real thing in an ad. Until then, it seems the “artificial” part of AI is taking the reins in Apple’s marketing.
