An event described as a “Willy Wonka Experience” in Scotland descended into chaos after furious parents called the cops, telling organizers they’d been duped.
The organizer behind the event, a company called House of Illuminati — yes, that’s its actual name — used what clearly seem to be AI-generated images on its website to lure families into shelling out $44 a ticket. Per The Guardian, the “immersive experience” was allegedly based on “Wonka,” a recent blockbuster starring Timothée Chalamet.
But perhaps unsurprisingly, the actual event didn’t manage to get anywhere near the fantastical landscapes dreamed up by an AI image generator in marketing materials. In reality, photos show a depressing warehouse sparsely populated by cheap-looking, larger-than-life objects, as well as folding tables and benches.
It’s a particularly glaring example of AI technology being used to mislead people. More and more companies are making use of image generators to take care of their marketing, efforts that not only threaten the livelihoods of human artists but can also easily land companies in hot water.
As The Guardian reports, children were left in tears upon showing up at the Willy Wonka event, with angry parents gathering in a Facebook group called “House of Illuminati scam” to vent their frustrations.
“My heart sank,” Paul Connell, an actor who had been hired by House of Illuminati to perform at the event, told STV News. “It was — it wasn’t even like fear. I just felt sad because I was aware of how many kids were going to be coming through.”
“And like, just looking around the place and just being like, ‘this is… this is terrible,'” he added. “Like, you know, we were told to hand the kids like, a couple of jelly beans and a quarter cup of lemonade at the end.”
The company made some sky-high promises to lure in customers.
“It was basically advertised as this big massive Willy Wonka experience with optical illusions and big chocolate fountains and sweets,” 19-year-old Eva Stewart, who attended the vent with some friends, told the BBC. “But when we got there, it was practically an abandoned, empty warehouse, with hardly anything in it.”
The use of AI in the company’s marketing materials is pretty unmistakable, from disjointed and mysteriously misshapen figures to outright misspelled words, all telltale signs of AI-powered image generators.
Another glaring image featured on the company’s website is littered with bizarre misspellings, promising “vivue sounds,” “ungirevel,” and ukxepcted twits.”
The company’s event page is also filled with suspicious punctuation and meaningless copy, suggesting an AI text generator may have also been put to use.
“This space invites you on a surreal journey where the boundaries between reality and fantasy harmoniously merge, resulting in an enchanting and visually striking encounter,” the website reads.
House of Illuminati Ltd. is a company registered in London, UK, and was incorporated on November 20, 2023, according to official documents.
On its website, the company advertises a number of other experiences, from “techno-mythical shows” to “enchanted retreats” — all of which are accompanied by more AI-generated images.
“From avant-garde performances to grand interactive galas, each event is a meticulously crafted adventure, designed to evoke wonder and inspire the imagination,” the company’s breathless copy reads.
Following outrage over its disastrous event, the company tried to calm furious parents with a half-baked apology.
“Today has been a very stressful and frustrating day for many and for that we are truly sorry,” the company wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post. “Unfortunately, last minute we were let down in many areas of our event and tried our best to continue on and push through and now realize we probably should have canceled first thing this morning instead.”
The company has since posted an iPhone screenshot of its Facebook account in an apparent attempt to prove that it had issued hundreds of refunds.
But the damage has already been done. It’s one thing to cheap out by resorting to AI image generators for your Facebook marketing — but another to make children cry.
More on AI images: Google Blocked Gemini From Generating Images of Humans, But It Still Does Clowns
