---
title: "Hong Kong Pulls an AI Anti-Drug Video After the Internet Called It the Best Drug Ad Ever"
description: "A Hong Kong government anti-drug music video made with artificial intelligence was yanked offline after it backfired — viewers said its AI-generated pop idols spent so long touting the supposed thrills of narcotics that the clip made drugs look appealing, not dangerous."
category: "World"
category_url: https://herald.la/category/world
author: "Simone Bishop"
published: 2026-07-02T03:44:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-02T03:44:00.000Z
canonical: https://herald.la/article/hong-kong-pulls-an-ai-anti-drug-video-after-the-internet-called-it-the-best-drug
tags: ["artificial intelligence", "Hong Kong", "public health", "drugs", "government communications", "world"]
---
# Hong Kong Pulls an AI Anti-Drug Video After the Internet Called It the Best Drug Ad Ever

A Hong Kong government anti-drug music video made with artificial intelligence was yanked offline after it backfired — viewers said its AI-generated pop idols spent so long touting the supposed thrills of narcotics that the clip made drugs look appealing, not dangerous.

A public-service campaign meant to warn young people off drugs instead handed the internet a punchline — and a case study in the pitfalls of letting artificial intelligence do the messaging.

## Pop idols named after drugs

Hong Kong's Correctional Services Department posted the video on June 26 to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse, [the Hong Kong Free Press reported](https://hongkongfp.com/2026/06/29/govt-withdraws-controversial-anti-drugs-ad-with-ai-pop-stars-named-after-cannabis-ice-cocaine-and-etomidate/). Titled "Obsession: The Sugar-Coated Trap," it featured four AI-generated, K-pop-style characters — named Weedy, Icy, Coke and Little E — standing in for cannabis, methamphetamine, cocaine and etomidate, a sedative that has become a growing concern locally.

The problem was the pacing. For much of the run time, the glossy virtual idols essentially advertised themselves: one promised that "one romantic puff" would erase your worries, another an "amazing out-of-body experience," before the clip pivoted, late, to its actual message as the characters aged into frail old men over the warning that "drugs are extremely harmful."

## The backlash

The turn came too late for viewers, who spread the clip with captions calling it "the most successful drug advertisement ever in Hong Kong," [the South China Morning Post reported](https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3358606/ai-k-pop-video-pulled-after-anti-drug-message-backfires-hong-kong-prison-service). The communications research firm CARMA found that about 45 percent of online reactions were negative and only 15 percent positive, with critics questioning how the "counterproductive framing" cleared internal review.

The department removed the video the next day and later posted a revised cut with the promotional opening stripped out. It said it would "conduct a full review" and be more careful about balancing creativity with public acceptance in future campaigns, [according to The Standard](https://www.thestandard.com.hk/news/article/335785/Correctional-Services-Department-pledges-stricter-review-after-AI-anti-drug-video-sparks-backlash). Officials said the clip had been produced in-house with no extra public spending.

## The AI dimension

The misfire is not the first time a Hong Kong anti-drug effort has landed the wrong way, but this one carried a newer wrinkle: the explicit use of generative AI to produce the virtual performers, apparently in hopes the K-pop look would connect with younger audiences. The episode has become a small cautionary tale as governments worldwide reach for AI to cut the cost of public messaging. The tools can quickly generate polished, attention-grabbing visuals — but, communications specialists note, they do not judge whether the result actually serves the goal. When the aim is deterrence, a too-persuasive first impression can undercut the entire point — as the clip's viral afterlife, outlasting the version meant to fix it, made clear.

## Sources

- [Gov't withdraws controversial anti-drugs ad with AI pop stars](https://hongkongfp.com/2026/06/29/govt-withdraws-controversial-anti-drugs-ad-with-ai-pop-stars-named-after-cannabis-ice-cocaine-and-etomidate/)
- [AI K-pop video pulled after anti-drug message backfires for Hong Kong prison service](https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3358606/ai-k-pop-video-pulled-after-anti-drug-message-backfires-hong-kong-prison-service)
- [Correctional Services Department pledges stricter review after AI anti-drug video backlash](https://www.thestandard.com.hk/news/article/335785/Correctional-Services-Department-pledges-stricter-review-after-AI-anti-drug-video-sparks-backlash)