Lisa’s ‘Amazing Thailand’ ad sparks AI suspicion and backlash
The ‘Amazing Thailand’ campaign drew global attention and controversy as fans debated whether the hyper-polished image of Lisa was AI-generated
A celebrity-fronted tourism campaign just became the latest flashpoint in the ongoing debate over AI in marketing visuals.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is facing online scrutiny after releasing a high-gloss image of BLACKPINK’s Lalisa “Lisa” Manobal drifting across Udon Thani’s Red Lotus Sea. The dreamy image, featuring vibrant skies and an uncanny stillness, was enough for audiences to ask: was it real, or did AI help craft it?
While TAT has denied any use of AI, saying the image was professionally enhanced but not AI-generated, the wave of suspicion signals a deeper issue. For marketers, the controversy is a masterclass in how quickly “too perfect” visuals can trigger credibility concerns in the age of synthetic content. This article explores how Lisa’s tourism campaign became a case study in AI mistrust and what creative teams should take away from the fallout.
Short on time?
Here’s a table of contents for quick access:
- What happened with Lisa’s campaign?
- The rise of AI suspicion in visual marketing
- What marketers should know: trust, transparency, and visual choices
Patrecia Meliana
What happened with Lisa's campaign?
The campaign image in question, part of TAT’s “Amazing Thailand” initiative, shows Lisa in a lotus-filled boat against a surreal pink backdrop. It was created in collaboration with Lisa’s management and approved by both parties, according to TAT’s statement. But within hours of its release, the image sparked online debate, with critics calling it “definitely AI” or simply “too fake to be real.”
TAT clarified that the photo was captured through a traditional shoot, then enhanced for aesthetic purposes by a professional design team, not AI-generated. Despite the reassurance, the image inspired memes, mockups, and rampant speculation across social channels. One viral parody even replaced Lisa with Gandalf, using Google's Gemini AI to highlight how easily the image’s vibe could be replicated synthetically.
While sentiment data from media intelligence firm CARMA showed mostly neutral or positive reactions (14.6% positive, 0.3% negative), the virality of the AI debate shows how digital perfection has become its own red flag.
The rise of AI suspicion in visual marketing
The Lisa episode reveals a wider trend: audiences are now conditioned to treat polished visuals with skepticism. As EON Group’s Chief Innovation Officer Carlos Mori Rodriguez put it, “High production value used to signal legitimacy. Now it signals potential manipulation.”
This erosion of visual trust is particularly pronounced among younger demographics. Gen Z consumers, according to industry experts, want to see real effort and relatable content, not just surface-level beauty. A Forrester study supports this, with 24% of Singaporean online adults viewing AI as a serious societal threat, and wide gender-based trust gaps showing only 50% of women in Australia confident in AI compared to 70% of men.
Tourism, a category reliant on emotional authenticity and aspirational promise, is especially vulnerable. If audiences suspect the beauty being sold is manufactured or artificially constructed, the core appeal starts to crumble.
What marketers should know
The Lisa campaign may have been AI-free, but the audience response underscores a new creative tension: how do you produce compelling visuals without alienating a hyper-aware, AI-conscious public?
Here are key takeaways for marketing teams:
1. Perfection is no longer proof of quality
When visuals look “too perfect,” audiences default to skepticism. As Ivan Yeow of Bacon Creatives notes, what once required hours of work can now be done with a single prompt. The new creative challenge isn’t just about quality. It’s about believability.
2. Don’t fake imperfection either
Lo-fi aesthetics are trending, but audiences can sniff out when it’s strategic, not sincere. “If the imperfection is calculated, it becomes another form of artifice,” warns Rodriguez. The goal isn’t to make work look worse. It’s to make it feel real.
3. Show your work
Transparency is becoming the new standard. Whether it’s a behind-the-scenes reel or a creative process caption, showing human effort reassures audiences. “People don’t distrust good execution,” says HYP Global’s Hasbidin Hassan. “They distrust confusion and dishonesty.”
4. Trust is built off-screen
Lisa’s image was enhanced, but not AI-generated. That detail was lost in translation because the backstory wasn’t told up front. Brands should preemptively communicate their creative choices, especially when visual fidelity is key to the message.
5. Avoid overcorrection
Abandoning polish altogether isn’t the answer. As Hasbidin puts it, “Advertising has always shown the best version of reality.” The trick is not to erase aspiration but to ground it with intentionality and truth.
Lisa’s “Amazing Thailand” ad didn’t need AI to spark an AI panic. That in itself is telling. In today’s visual economy, the audience response isn’t just about what’s being shown. It’s about how much of the human process they can still see behind it.
As generative tools continue to reshape creative production, brands must remember: trust isn’t built with pixels alone. It’s crafted through context, clarity, and purpose.
