AI6YR BenJun 16

The Guardian: Starbucks Korea to temporarily shut all stores for history lesson after bungled coffee promotion

"...The Gwangju massacre is a painful memory for many. Over 10 violent days, paratroopers crushed pro-democracy protests against military strongman Chun Doo-hwan. Victims’ groups say hundreds were killed.

Starbucks branded the date of its promotion “Tank Day”. It also featured the slogan “thwack on the desk”, evoking a notorious police explanation for the 1987 torture death of student activist Park Jong-chul. Authorities falsely claimed he had died after an officer “hit the desk with a thwack” during questioning.

Marketers chose the “thwack” slogan after consulting an AI tool for suggestions, Shinsegae Group said...."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/16/starbucks-korea-shut-all-stores-tank-day-promotion

#starbucks #AI #fiasco #korea

Starbucks Korea to temporarily shut all stores for history lesson after bungled coffee promotion

The closures, so employees can watch a recorded lecture, will cost the company an estimated 2.1bn won ($1.4m) in sales

The Guardian
Show threadHey GusJun 16
@ai6yr holy cow there is no way this made it all the way through the pipeline without a single person understanding this was a horrible offense.
Show threadneville parkJun 16
@elebertus @ai6yr From the article: "It turned out some managers who approved the campaign never opened the email attachments showing the marketing material."
Show threadHey Gus

@nev @ai6yr I read one of the clickthroughs that said as much.

I suppose one takeaway is no matter what tools you use you're still accountable for what you create with them.

Jun 16 at 5:31amWeb