REI Co-op Pulls Instagram Ad After Generative AI Fiasco

REI Co-op Pulls Instagram Ad After Generative AI Fiasco

The American outdoor gear retailer REI Co-op has pulled an Instagram advertisement following a wave of online criticism and mockery. The image in question featured a bicycle with glaring anomalies. The company accuses Meta of altering the original visual using a generative AI tool activated without its explicit consent. The bicycle manufacturer has denied any involvement.

A spokesperson for REI Co-op stated that Meta had enrolled the brand without explicit request in an AI advertising customization tool, which produced an inaccurate and inappropriate modification of an image provided by a supplier. REI did not activate the feature on its own.

At the end of May, REI Co-op published an Instagram ad for the Van Rysel EDR AF, a high-end road bike. The image in the post shows a cyclist fastening her helmet on a sunny path. At first glance, nothing seems unusual for a bike advertisement. However, upon closer inspection, the bike exhibits a physical inconsistency:

• Two handlebars, one at the front and another positioned behind the saddle.
• A chain running both inside and outside the rear wheel.
• Overlapping disc brakes and rim brakes.
• An absent crankset.

These elements immediately indicate that the image was generated by AI. The advertisement remained online for an entire week before REI removed it on June 22, under pressure from comments accusing the brand of producing AI slop, particularly on Reddit.

Professional cyclist Amity Rockwell recognized her face in the visual as soon as it was published. A few months earlier, Van Rysel North America had hired her for an official photoshoot featuring the EDR AF road bike, distributed by REI Co-op in the United States. “The thing is, it was an official shoot. For which I was hired,” she wrote in an Instagram story. “So why is AI treating the images this way?” she wondered, feeling “lost.” Van Rysel North America denied any editing on its part: the original image was consistent with the shoot, and the modifications seen in the advertisement did not come from the manufacturer.

On Reddit, users spent the week commenting on the visual under the term “AI slop,” questioning the consistency of a brand with a strong environmental identity engaging in such practices.

A spokesperson for REI Co-op reiterated that Meta had enrolled the brand without explicit request in an AI advertising customization tool, which produced an inaccurate and inappropriate modification of an image provided by a supplier. REI did not activate the feature on its own.

Other advertisers have reported similar types of activation without explicit consent in Meta's advertising tools. The platform declined to comment. In its terms and conditions for AI tools applied to advertising, Meta states that results may be inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, offensive, and/or inappropriate, and that advertisers remain responsible for verification before going live.

For several years, Meta has been expanding its Advantage+ suite, which includes tools for targeting, budgeting, and automated creation of advertising visuals. Internal data cited by specialized media reports approximately $60 billion (€54 billion) in annualized revenue generated by this suite. The company is currently testing a system that allows for the production of a complete campaign from a simple product URL and a budget.

REI announced its withdrawal from the program, adding that it did not align with its values or the way it managed its brand. The cooperative, founded in 1938 and boasting 25 million members, has built its identity on documented environmental commitments, including a zero waste certification achieved in 2024 and a goal to reduce 47% of its emissions by 2030.