Towering chocolate sculptures, sunlight gleaming off of colorful candy-cane lined paths, and the intoxicating aroma of rich, sugary confections—this is what people in Glasgow, United Kingdom expected after purchasing a £35 ticket (about $45 USD) for ‘Willy’s Chocolate Experience.’ 

The experience was advertised to have “captivating live performances featuring charming characters singing original catchy tunes,” extraordinary props such as oversized lollipops and other sweet treats, and provide an “immersive and delightful entertainment experience” for ages 3 and up.

However, customers didn’t exactly receive the magical experience they were promised. Instead, they found a disappointing, ill-decorated, chaotic event that was scarcely staffed.

Though House of Illuminati, the event organizers behind the event, hasn't confirmed the use of AI to produce the art for the exhibit, social media is already flooded with speculation. It would seem that the organizers used AI art to create concepts of a non-existent experience.

According to Actor Paul Connell, who arrived just hours before the guests for the last-minute dress rehearsal, told The Independent that the script "was 15 pages of AI-generated gibberish of me just monologuing these mad things." 

The script introduced an original character called "The Unknown," a chrome-masked character that scared many kids in attendance. You can hear some crying out in videos posted to social media during the experience. 

After peeking at the Willy's Chocolate Experience website, it’s pretty clear that at least some, if not all, of the art was produced by AI. Take a look at the website and imagine that you are a prospective guest for this experience. See if you can spot any signs that might warrant a little suspicion.

Let’s compare notes:

Misspelled and mispunctuated words

• Imagnation Lab
• ‘Twilight 
• Encherining 
• Catgacating
• Cartchy Tuns
• Exarserdray 
• Pasadise of sweet teats

The lack of a consistent art style

Lack of ‘real’ visuals/photography/video on the website to showcase experience

Their social media has no presence, it looks brand new

No posts showcasing the experience on social media before the event

Realistically, there were quite a few red flags on the website alone, but we can't fault the people who bought tickets. The blame lies solely on the event organizer, who has since issued an apology on Facebook and, reportedly, refunded the attendees. Scam, false advertising, or even a poorly planned joke… this Wonka affair highlights the power of AI and how it could easily fuel a dystopian-like nightmare of deceptive advertisements and media. 

Social media users are calling for more guidelines to regulate how AI can be used. At the very least, I encourage you to keep this event at the forefront of your mind when it comes to events. With AI becoming more powerful and accessible, the possibility of something like this happening continues to grow.