Is Iceland AI generated? I like it!

Since 2010, when after the Eyjafjallajökull eruption Iceland had to rescue its tourism industry with the brilliant “Inspired by Iceland” campaign (Emiliana Torrini, Jungle Drum), I’ve been keeping an eye out for every new ad promoting the country.

The new spot promoting Iceland – or rather Iceland’s national airline, Icelandair – landed perfectly in the middle of the current debate about Coca-Cola’s latest AI-generated ad.

First, watch “Is Iceland AI generated?”

Then check out Coca-Cola’s ad and one of the meme-style reactions making the rounds online.

At first glance, promoting Iceland seems easy. There are so many stunning landscapes that all you really need is good framing.

Some of Iceland’s shots look so unreal that people have genuinely questioned whether they were created by AI. The internet’s full of images that cram a volcano, northern lights, and Blue Lagoon bathers all into one frame 🙂

Research also shows that although AI in advertising is still a relatively new thing, trust in AI-generated ads is actually dropping. For some viewers, just knowing that what they’re watching was created by AI is enough to kill the vibe.

I was reminded of a recent comment by Artur Jabłoński, who responded to an ad agency bragging that, thanks to AI, they now generate three times more social media posts for clients. His point? It doesn’t matter – engagement levels haven’t changed a bit.

And here comes Icelandair, all in white, with its “Is Iceland AI generated?” spot (by the agency Hvita Husid).

We meet a conspiracy theorist who’s convinced Iceland is a total fake.

He’s flown to Iceland to confront his beliefs in person.

According to him, the island is one big green screen – that’s why there are no trees (you can’t grow those on green screens), volcanoes are just smoke machines, the northern lights are satellite projections, and puffins are actually robots. Cute, but still robots 🙂

It’s a brilliant concept. Instead of taking the easy route, the campaign’s creators decided to distance themselves from the use of AI. Icelandair isn’t just defending its brand; it’s standing up for authenticity itself in an era when artificiality keeps eroding trust in the real thing.

Of course, Icelandair uses AI in its daily operations — but the point they make is that when it comes to showing off Iceland, it’s simply not necessary.

Another topic worth a deeper dive is overtourism in Iceland, along with the rather odd ways the country’s trying to fight it. In short: make everything more expensive. I’ll definitely come back to that in another post.

And here are my favorite Iceland campaigns that I’ve dug up over the years and often featured in my presentations about the country.

2010: Inspired by Iceland. Emiliana Torrini: Jungle Drum