Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly entered the visual production of advertising, transforming both the creative process and the symbolic language of brands. This article explores the emergence of AI-generated visuals in advertising campaigns through the lens of semiotics, aesthetics, and digital communication theory. By analyzing recent cases—such as Gucci’s experimental campaign featuring AI-generated models, Coca-Cola’s collaboration with generative platforms, Guess’s incorporation of AI visuals into fashion imagery, and Levi’s initiative to diversify representation through synthetic models—the study highlights how AI alters the codes of visual persuasion. The article situates AI visuals at the intersection of technological innovation and cultural meaning making, raising questions about authenticity, creativity, and the ethics of advertising. Drawing from semiotic theory, posthumanist aesthetics, and critical media studies, it argues that AI visuals constitute not merely a tool but a new visual paradigm in brand communication. While AI promises efficiency, personalization, and radical aesthetic novelty, it also produces tensions around originality, standardization, and consumer trust. The article concludes that AI visuals represent a hybrid form of cultural production, demanding new critical frameworks and ethical standards for the future of advertising. It also introduces an original analytical framework—the Post-Indexical Semiotics Model—to interpret how meaning, authorship, and authenticity are constructed in AI-generated advertising.