ALBAWABA - An AI-generated chocolate ad featuring ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad recently sparked controversy and debate across social media. The ad belonged to a local Syrian chocolate brand named "Rollana Chocolate."
The AI-generated ad was shared by the company's Instagram account and was captioned, "Basha Assad's escape... Secretly debuts on the screens." It garnered around 2,000 likes and more than 100,000 views. Additionally, It featured the former Syrian President trying to escape Damascus by disguising himself in different outfits to avoid detection.
AI-generated Bashar Assad in chocolate ad goes viral
The ad had Bashar Assad disguising himself as several political figures including his father, Hafez Assad, and Nazi Germany's Adolf Hitler. He also disguised himself as a clown and a pirate.
Rollana Chocolate's ad also referenced an ongoing meme made about Assad when he told Turkey's President Erdogan during a conversation, "Why do we meet? To drink refreshments?"
An Instagram user took to the post's comment section and wrote, "You all deserve free advertising, I swear! Throughout the entire month of Ramadan, with all the bloggers and influencers."
Another added, "Nothing can defeat this ad."
According to AP News, Assad fled Damascus to Moscow, Russia in December 2024, after his 13-year-long regime collapsed due to an operation launched by the Syrian opposition led by Ahmed Al-Sharaa, who is the current transitioning president of Syria.
