Raising Cane’s newest spokesperson is not a person at all.
On July 14, the chicken chain announced it is donating $1 from every Box Combo sold on National Chicken Finger Day (July 27) up to $1 million to benefit Kickstart Kids, the martial arts youth development organization co-founded by Chuck Norris.
The actor, who was a close friend of Raising Cane’s founder Todd Graves, died in March at age 86.
For this charity drive, Raising Cane’s has depicted the “Walker Texas Ranger” star in print, video and more by using artificial intelligence — and people online have a lot to say about it.
“why is nobody talking about the fact raising canes is running ai ads,” asked an X user, posting a commercial where an AI Norris uses a disposable straw to dispatch with a henchman.
“Walked in and was dumbfounded by how bad it was,” wrote one Reddit user in a post titled, “Gross Generative AI Chuck Norris Signage.”
“Dystopian,” noted another.
“this actually breaks my heart and i should’ve expected this,” someone else wrote.
“Disgraceful tbh,” posted one more. “billionaire can’t pay an artist a decent wage. Embarrassing.”
A representative for Raising Cane’s tells TODAY.com that these ads were created with the encouragement and approval of the Norris family.
The nationwide campaign spans television, digital, social media, billboards and Raising Cane’s restaurants, and is led by a spot featuring Gena Norris and twins Dakota Norris and Danilee Norris.
In other ads, created with AI and supported by the Norris family, Graves himself teams up with the digitally rendered Chuck to protect their local Raising Cane’s from a siege of masked henchmen.
“Chuck and Todd shared a friendship built on mutual respect, generosity and a belief in helping young people become the best versions of themselves,” Gena Norris said in a press release.
“Chuck would be deeply honored to know that his legacy is continuing in such a meaningful way,” she continues. “Our family is incredibly grateful to Todd and everyone at Raising Cane’s for celebrating my husband’s life and helping carry forward the work that meant so much to him. We’re proud to be part of this campaign and know it will make a difference in the lives of kids across the country.”
In contrast, the family came out against AI-generated videos about the action star’s death in April.
“We are aware that since Chuck’s passing, there have been a number of AI-generated videos and posts circulating online that contain false and misleading information regarding the circumstances of his passing, his health history, and who was present,” read a statement posted to his Instagram stories, according to Variety.
“These claims are entirely untrue. This includes fabricated reports of past medical issues, as well as false narratives surrounding family relationships,” the statement continued. The family asked people to “not believe or share any information,” unless it comes directly from them or an “official family representative.”
While the Norris family didn’t specify which posts triggered their statement, one notable AI image that made the rounds depicted his funeral, attended by AI-generated versions of Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren and Mel Gibson.
