Neta Alchimister sparks a huge storm online: 'Shocking, it gave me goosebumps'
The new Samsung AI campaign in Israel featuring the model sparked a storm and unprecedented public outrage online due to an unusual message, which led the company to completely remove the advertisement from all social networks.
A new advertising campaign by Samsung, intended to showcase the editing and artificial intelligence capabilities of its devices, turned into a PR nightmare within a few hours and became the most talked-about topic online — and not for the reasons the brand had hoped for.
The plot of the commercial brought together model Neta Alchimister and actress Efrat Bozer. During their conversation, Bozer confesses to regretting having children. The solution offered by the advertisement comes through the smartphone: Bozer demonstrates how, using the new AI feature, one can erase the figure of her son from a family photo with a simple swipe of a finger.
What was supposed to sound like a witty joke was received by the public as a blatant crossing of boundaries and an affront to the feelings of both parents and children. The web was flooded with angry reactions, with many users describing the ad as "shocking," "stupid and sad," and even defining it as "the most offensive ad seen in the last decade," while another user claimed that the publication "gave her goosebumps."
Sharp criticism was also directed at Alchimister herself for choosing to take part in promoting such a problematic message. Many commenters noted that the line was crossed by the very act of exposing children to content that raises doubts about their necessity, which could instill in them a difficult feeling of being unwanted.
Following an inquiry by the ForReal editorial team to clarify the matter and the intensification of public protest, Samsung decided to remove the video completely from all platforms and social networks.
"We have listened to the criticism and understood that the video evoked difficult feelings that were not intended. Our aspiration is to create content that respects and connects the community," stated the official response from Samsung, thanking users for the honest feedback.
