Jim Meyer: Glascow Wonka fiasco sheds light on AI issue

Mar. 16—If you're a fan of the Roald Dahl classic "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," you may have seen the latest film adaptation, "Wonka," starring Timothee Chalemet, released last year. Or you may have made it to Mainstage Theatre last weekend to see Wonka Kids.

If you spend any time on social media, you may have even seen videos and photos of the disastrous event known as Willy's Chocolate Experience, which was not licensed by Warner Bros.

A company called House of Illuminati in Glascow, Scotland, found itself up the chocolate river without a paddle after selling tickets to an event that simply couldn't deliver on its promises.

This event, advertised as an immersive experience, promised endless sweets and sights and sounds to thrill the imagination.

Accompanying pictures on the company's website were psychedelic candy-scapes generated with an Artificial Intelligence program.

For those who are nervous about AI taking over the world, let me put your fears to rest, at least for the moment. Current AI seems to have a difficult time knowing what it's supposed to be advertising.

The advertisements on House of Illuminati's website promised "enchinerating entertainment, exarcerdray lollipops and a pasadise of sweet teats."

The internet memes have become legendary after many angry parents shared footage of the event online.

On Feb. 24, ticket holders showed up for the event only to be ushered into a world of disappointment.

Attendees were treated to shabby props, knock-off characters and actors doing their best to fumble through a script that had also been generated with an AI program.

The script, described by one actor as "15 pages of AI-generated gibberish," even included an original character, The Unknown, a Babadook-like creature that emerges from the walls to frighten the children.

As if this wasn't disappointment enough, the children in attendance received no chocolate. Instead, they were given two jelly beans and a small cup of lemonade, not exactly what you'd expect at an event for which you paid about $45 per ticket.

Within a few hours, the event had descended into chaos as disappointed children cried and angry parents demanded refunds.

Pictures and video of this even quickly went viral and became the subject of numerous YouTube videos and memes. Most of the criticism was leveled at House of Illuminati owner Billy Coull for using fraudulent advertising to take advantage of parents and children.

Some criticism was leveled at ticket holders themselves.

How could anyone fall for this when the AI-generated promotional material should've been an obvious red flag?

Now is not the time to cast judgment on the parents, who were looking for some family fun, and instead got taken for suckers.

Rather, this incident should generate some much-needed conversation about AI and its potential for misuse.

People who aren't very tech savvy may not know what red flags to look for when perusing events online, but here's a starter list from a non-expert:

—Do some research before you spend your money. Call the company. Look for the company's online presence. If the company seems to have popped up out of nowhere in the last few weeks, I wouldn't count on them.

—Look at the photos. A company that promotes events should have no shortage of photos of events they've organized. Look for real photos. If there aren't any, then there's a reason for that.

—Learn what you can about AI generated art and how to easily spot it.

—Excessive misspellings and typos in promotional materials is bad business. If the company is that lazy in its promotions, don't expect much from its actual services.

Willy's Chocolate Experience gained international fame for all the wrong reasons. Hopefully, it can be used as a teachable moment so people can avoid future rip-offs.

For those of you who hearing about this story for the first time, just go on YouTube and search for Willy's Chocolate Experience. You won't be disappointed ... at least not as disappointed as you would be if you'd bought a ticket.