REI blamed Meta AI after Instagram ad showed bike with two handlebars

An Instagram ad from REI Co-op drew backlash after users noticed the bike in the image appeared to have two sets of handlebars. "REI using AI slop now. So much for caring about the environment," read a Reddit post about the ad that received hundreds of upvotes.

REI said the image was the result of AI adjustments and pointed to a Meta tool. "Meta auto-enrolled us in an AI personalization tool that produced an inaccurate and inappropriate alteration of a vendor-provided image in some of our ads," an REI spokesperson said.

"While a two-handled bike might be interesting, it is not something you will find in our assortment." Van Rysel North America confirmed the original image came from a Van Rysel photo shoot featuring cyclist Amity Rockwell and added, "Any later alterations were not made by Van Rysel." Meta declined to comment.

rei, meta, instagram, bike, two handlebars, ai personalization, van rysel, amity rockwell, reddit post, vendor image