Swedish Company Uses A.I. Likeness of Greta Garbo in Ad

What the report says

A manufacturing company in Sweden, SKF Group, has drawn attention for an advertisement that used an A.I.-generated likeness of Greta Garbo, the Swedish American film star who died in 1990. According to The New York Times World, the ad featured a digital recreation of Garbo rather than archival footage or a traditional tribute.

The company’s use of the likeness highlights a growing business trend: brands are experimenting with artificial intelligence to revive well-known public figures for marketing purposes. In this case, the approach centered on one of Sweden’s most famous cultural icons, making the campaign notable both for its local resonance and for the broader debate over synthetic imagery in advertising.

The Times reported that reactions were mixed, and that not everyone who saw the ad found the replica convincing. That response points to a larger question for advertisers and audiences alike about how realistic these digital recreations need to be, and whether technical novelty outweighs concerns about authenticity and taste.

While the source excerpt does not provide further details about the campaign’s creative team, timing, or SKF Group’s intent, the example adds to an expanding set of cases in which companies use A.I. likenesses of historical figures to attract attention and signal modernity.