Fast-food chain Raising Cane's is facing intense online criticism after using artificial intelligence to feature the late actor Chuck Norris in a nationwide advertising campaign.
The campaign launched on July 27, 2026, for National Chicken Finger Day.
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It pledged a donation of $1 from every Box Combo sold, up to $1 million, to Kickstart Kids, a youth martial arts organization co-founded by Norris.
Norris, a longtime friend of Raising Cane's founder Todd Graves, died in March at age 86.
Despite the charitable goal, users on X and Reddit quickly criticized the company for deploying generative AI imagery across television, digital media, billboards, and restaurant signage.
In one commercial spot, a digitally rendered version of Norris uses a disposable straw to defeat a henchman.
Another ad features an AI-generated version of Graves teaming up with Norris to defend a restaurant location.
Discontent spread rapidly after the ad release, with customers expressing frustration over the corporate use of synthetic media.
"Why is nobody talking about the fact Raising Cane's is running AI ads?" asked an X user.
Another critic condemned the visual quality of the promotional material in a Reddit thread titled "Gross Generative AI Chuck Norris Signage."
"Walked in and was dumbfounded by how bad it was," wrote one Reddit user.
Other commentators voiced concern over the broader cultural implications of replacing human creators with automated tools. "Dystopian," noted another.
Some social media users expressed deep personal disappointment. "This actually breaks my heart and I should've expected this," someone else wrote.
