An enormous new Christmas mural in south-west London has been mercilessly mocked online after viewers spotted its bizarrely disfigured people — and dogs and chickens with swapped bodies.
The mural, which appears to have been generated by AI, has been installed above the Côte Brasserie restaurant on Kingston upon Thames’ Riverside Walk.
It seems to depict a Nativity scene with pilgrims gathered to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
But it appears no one checked it for errors before it was printed — and the result has sparked a wave of amused disbelief online.
One Reddit user described the artwork as “scenes of Lovecraftian horror,” while others branded it an “abomination” and “nightmareish.”
“The Thing at Christmas,” one user quipped.
“This is absolutely incredible. I’m a big fan of the man with a sideways face… but face on? I don’t know how to describe it. Made my day,” another wrote.
Another user added: “It’s beggars belief that if you're going to use AI, you wouldn't even take a fraction of the time you've allegedly saved in producing whatever this is to at least check it a bit.”
“You know what’s Christmassy?” another user said, “A snowman with a f***ing eye on his cheek.”
At first glance, the mural looks harmless enough. But on closer inspection, the human faces are warped beyond recognition, sprouting extra features, while the bodies of dogs appear to merge disturbingly with human figures.
A second mural has also appeared, which also bears the hallmarks of being AI-generated.
It comes as yet another stark example fuelling concerns that AI is undermining human creativity, allowing people to bypass real effort or replace the skills of those working in the creative sector.
It is unclear who is responsible for the mural or who had put up the decoration.
