Dive Brief: 

• Cannes Lions has withdrawn the Creative Data Lions Grand Prix winner, “Efficient Way to Pay” for Consul, after consultation with entrant agency DM9, per an announcement from the awards entity. The move follows the discovery that the entrant used artificial intelligence-generated content to simulate real-world events and campaign outcomes.
• DM9 also withdrew entries for its other clients, OKA Biotech (“Plastic Blood”) and Urihi Yanomami (“Gold = Death”), and all awards given to those campaigns were also withdrawn. In total, the three campaigns accounted for 12 awards: one Grand Prix, three golds, four silvers and three bronzes.
• As a result of these revelations, Cannes Lions introduced a series of measures to address the integrity of its awards in the generative AI era, including a code of conduct, transparency standards and the use of AI-detection tools for future competitions.

Dive Insight: 

DM9’s use of generative AI within its case film “breach[ed] the Cannes Lions entry rules on factual representation, and undermines the trust placed in the work by our juries and the wider community,” reads a statement issued by the awards entity. “Cannes Lions exists to celebrate creativity that is real, representative and responsible.”

The decision to mutually withdraw the entries and the awards was made after an investigation and review with the relevant parties and independent auditors, according to Cannes Lions. The news is a signal of the kinks yet to be worked out around the use of AI, despite some marketers’ excitement for the buzzy tech. 

Cannes Lions said it would introduce a series of enhanced measures for upcoming competitions that includes requiring participating organizations to sign an enhanced code of conduct. Mandatory disclosure of AI use will also be part of the entry process, “with non-disclosure constituting grounds for disqualification or withdrawal,” the use of content detection tools to identify manipulated case films and materials and a dedicated review committee comprised of experts in AI, ethics and content integrity.

DM9 is part of Omincom Group’s DDB Network. It was unclear what effect the withdrawal of the Consul, OKA Biotech and Urihi Yanomami entries would have on DDB’s “Network of the Year” honors from this year’s Cannes Lions festival. Other campaigns from DM9, including those for KFC (“Prize on the Bone”) and MRV Construction (“Building Futures”) were not withdrawn.

Additionally, DM9’s chief creative officer and co-president Icaro Doria has resigned from the agency, according to Adweek. Doria took responsibility for the controversy, and in its wake, the agency announced that it would introduce internal safeguards, including an AI ethics committee, to prevent similar occurrences. Doria’s replacement has not been identified.

This year’s Cannes Lions event was filled with drama beyond the issues surrounding DM9. LePub’s Bronze Lion-winning campaign, “Followers Store,” for New Balance and São Paulo FC is also under scrutiny for alleged lack of client approval and unverifiable performance claims.

Informa, which owns a controlling stake in Informa TechTarget, the publisher behind Marketing Dive, is the organizer of the Cannes Lions event. Informa has no influence over Marketing Dive’s coverage.