Warner Bros. Uses AI Dog Podcast to Promote ‘The End of Oak Street’: ‘Ewan McGregor Was Excellent With Treats’
Warner Bros. has promoted its upcoming sci-fi action film "The End of Oak Street" using an AI-generated dog podcast called "DogPack," in which two AI-animated dogs interview an AI version of Starbuck, the on-screen pet belonging to stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor. The move highlights how major studios are increasingly experimenting with AI-generated content for marketing, a trend that continues to draw mixed reactions from audiences over the use of artificial intelligence in place of traditional promotional material.
In the 90-second clip, hosted by AI characters Goldie and Frenchie, Starbuck jokingly rates McGregor and Hathaway's "training," praising McGregor for his treat-giving and Hathaway for her ear-scratching technique. Shared across Warner Bros.' social channels, the video prompted a mixed response on Instagram, with some users enjoying the novelty and others criticising the studio for using AI, including one comment with over 400 likes questioning whether the film itself involved AI. Directed by David Robert Mitchell and produced by J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot, "The End of Oak Street" follows a suburban family battling a dinosaur horde after their neighbourhood is transported through space-time, with a cast including Maisy Stella, Christian Convery, Jordan Alexa Davis and P.J. Byrne.
- Warner Bros used an AI dog podcast to promote a new film
- AI "Starbuck" praised Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway's pet skills
- Social media reaction was mixed, with some criticising AI use
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Warner Bros. is promoting its new film "The End of Oak Street" using a short, entirely AI-generated video: a fake dog podcast in which computer-generated dog characters interview an AI version of Starbuck, the pet dog featured in the film. This forms part of a wider shift by film studios towards using AI-made clips and characters in marketing campaigns, rather than relying solely on traditional trailers or interviews with the human cast.
The film itself stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor as parents in a suburban family who must fight off dinosaurs after their neighbourhood is unexpectedly flung through space and time. It is directed by David Robert Mitchell and made by J.J. Abrams' production company, Bad Robot, with a supporting cast that includes Maisy Stella, Christian Convery, Jordan Alexa Davis and P.J. Byrne.
The story matters because it reflects a broader debate in the entertainment industry over studios' growing use of AI-generated content, which some viewers find inventive and others see as a questionable substitute for genuine promotional material or human creative work.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of the approach see AI-generated content as a low-stakes, inventive way to extend a film's world and generate shareable buzz, arguing that a whimsical dog podcast is squarely promotional novelty rather than a replacement for the human artistry in the film itself. They contend studios should be free to experiment with new formats that engage audiences online, and that objecting to every playful use of AI risks stifling harmless creativity in marketing, an area historically full of gimmicks and stunts.
The case against
Critics argue that using AI-generated hosts and pet likenesses, even in jest, normalises the substitution of human creative labour with synthetic content, and that it blurs the line between authentic promotion and manufactured material in a way that can mislead or unsettle audiences, as reflected in viewers questioning whether the film itself relied on AI. They contend studios have a responsibility to be transparent about AI use and to support the writers, animators and marketing professionals whose work such tools can displace, especially given the entertainment industry's recent, hard-fought disputes over AI's role in creative production.