Hong Kong's AI drug warning video accidentally makes drugs look cool

Imagine a government makes a video to help people. But the video does the opposite of what it wants to do. This happened in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Correctional Services Department created a music video. They wanted to warn young people about drugs. They used artificial intelligence, or AI, to make the video. The style was K-pop. K-pop is popular music from South Korea. The video had singers and dancers.

But something went wrong. Many people watched the video. They did not think it was a good warning. Instead, they said the video made drugs look fun and attractive. The music was catchy. The dancers looked cool. The colors were bright and exciting. These things are good for entertainment. But they are bad for a warning video.

People online talked about the problem. They said: "This video will not stop young people from using drugs. It will make them want to try drugs." The video did not look serious or sad. A warning video should show real danger.

The government heard the comments. They listened to what people said. They knew they made a mistake. So they decided to remove the video from the internet. It is no longer easy to find.

This story teaches us something important. Good intentions are not always enough. How you communicate matters. A warning must feel like a warning. It must not look like entertainment.

Have you ever seen a warning that did not work? What made it fail?

Inspired by reporting from BBC News.