Apple had to step in after Tim Cook’s holiday art sparked a viral AI debate [U: Artist's comment]

Update 27/12/25 – 07:40 am (IST): The artist, Keith Thomson, responded to my request for a comment, stating that they “always draw by hand and sometimes incorporate standard digital tools.” They, however, didn’t comment on the artwork commissioned by Tim Cook specifically. So make of that what you may.

Original article published on December 26, 2025, follows:

Tim Cook posted a cozy Christmas image on December 24, and within hours, thousands of people were convinced Apple’s CEO had become the latest executive to embarrass himself with AI-generated slop. The only problem? It apparently wasn’t AI at all.

The image showed smiley face cookies on a plate next to a milk carton, with a blurred Christmas tree in the background. Cook’s caption read “Merry Christmas Eve, Carol. Be sure to leave some milk out for Santa,” and that’s when the internet lost it.

User after user flooded the replies claiming the image was obviously generated by AI, pointing to a maze on the milk carton that didn’t work, labels that said both “whole milk” and “low fat milk,” and that telltale warm golden glow that’s become synonymous with AI-generated images.

One commenter sarcastically remarked: “4 trillion dollar (with a T) company and nobody could muster up a Christmas image for the CEO to post on Christmas Eve”. Another called it “the worst post I’ve ever seen in my entire life”. The backlash got so intense that Apple TV’s official account had to step in with a clarification post.

Some folks even uploaded the image to AI-detection platforms and received positive results.

A separate post asked if Apple had hired an artist, assuming they wouldn’t use AI. That post garnered several thousand likes.

After seeing all these accusations and posts about it, it seems Apple didn’t want to stay mum. “Hi, Carol. We thought you might like this festive artwork by Keith Thomson, made on MacBook Pro,” Apple TV posted, making it clear that a real human artist created the piece on Apple hardware. But even that wasn’t enough to convince everyone. Some users continued to insist that Thomson must have used AI and then touched it up afterward.

Here’s what almost everyone missed, though some Reddit users eventually figured it out. The “errors” that supposedly proved AI involvement were actually intentional references to Pluribus, the Apple TV+ sci-fi series from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan. Commenters in the Reddit thread pointed out that the show stars Rhea Seehorn as a character named Carol, which explains Cook’s greeting. According to those familiar with the series, mysterious milk cartons are central to the plot, and the conflicting labels were a nod to the show’s themes without spoiling anything.

Keith Thomson is an established artist with a portfolio of work that clearly predates the AI boom. His signature is visible in the image; however, some people have even questioned the authenticity of that. One user shared a couple of other signatures on the artists’ work for comparison. Check the embed below for reference:

The irony here is pretty rich. While Cook was getting dragged for posting human-made art, Google CEO Sundar Pichai openly shared an AI-generated snow globe image complete with a visible Gemini watermark on December 25. His post just said “Merry Christmas! Wishing you a joyful holiday with friends and family,” and the replies were overwhelmingly positive. No accusations of slop. No harassment. Just holiday wishes and people praising Google’s AI capabilities.

We’ve reached a point where people are so primed to spot AI that they’re questioning everything, and honestly, some of their concerns about this image aren’t unreasonable. The maze does have weird artifacts and incomplete borders. The tree has that sharp edge against the blurred background that looks off.

I’m not saying people are wrong to be suspicious, especially when details in the image do raise legitimate questions. AI slop is everywhere, and companies absolutely have been caught using it when they shouldn’t. But this incident shows how messy things have gotten when hundreds of users harassed Cook and questioned Thomson’s integrity over what Apple insists is promotional art for an Apple TV show. Whether Thomson used any AI assistance or not, Apple felt the need to publicly defend the image by emphasizing it was “made on MacBook Pro”.

The benefit of the doubt is gone in 2025. Real artists with established portfolios are facing accusations. Companies are issuing classifications about their creative work. And we’re all stuck trying to figure out what’s real and what’s not, often getting it wrong either way.

I’ve reached out for a comment from the artist and will update the article if and when I hear back.

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