Warner Bros. Discovery drew online criticism in August 2026 over an AI-generated promotional video for the science fiction thriller The End of Oak Street.
The video came out of a partnership between the studio and DogPack, a dog-owner social media app. DogPack produces The Dogbone Podcast, a scripted show that uses AI-generated animation and vocals to stage conversations between dogs. The advertisement stages a conversation between two dog podcast hosts and Starbuck, a dog in the film owned by characters played by Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor.
The video was posted on August 7 to Warner Bros. Discovery's and DogPack's Facebook channels and to DogPack's Instagram account with the studio tagged. The most prominent Instagram responses were negative. Top comments called the video a major mistake and said it reduced the commenter's likelihood of seeing the film. The video stayed off the studio's official X, Threads, and TikTok accounts, and it drew criticism on those platforms through reuploads by other users, including the outlet Nexus Point News. The Facebook post received a warmer response, with one user describing it as the best use of AI.
Warner Bros. also shared a separate AI-generated video of dinosaurs attacking civilians on its official Warner Bros. Malaysia account to promote the film.
Representatives for Warner Bros. Discovery and director David Robert Mitchell did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap. The film opened August 14 and carries a reported $85 million production budget.
Source: TheWrap - https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/ai-dog-ad-end-of-oak-street-backlash-warner-bros/