Warner Bros. Stirs Controversy After Posting 'Embarrassing' AI Dog Podcast for The End of Oak Street
Warner Bros. is under fire after it collaborated with an AI dog podcast to promote Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway's new movie, The End of Oak Street.
You've probably seen trailers for the sci-fi film and its next-door-neighbor dinosaur story in the last few months. Helmed by It Follows director David Robert Mitchell and produced by J. J. Abrams, The End of Oak Street follows Greg (McGregor), Denise (Hathaway), and the rest of the Platt family after their cozy suburban neighborhood transports them to a strange land.
What does that have to do with AI or dogs with a podcast? That's the same question viewers online have asked all weekend.
Ears perked up and eyebrows were raised when Warner Bros. announced it had collaborated with generative AI-centered dog podcast DogPark for a new promotional video for The End of Oak Street. Starring an AI-generated golden retriever named Goldie and French bulldog Frenchie, the video features an artificial intelligence version of the film's real-life dog star, Starbuck.
Despite coming in at a little more than a minute and a half long, it didn't take long for comments questioning Warner Bros.'s use of AI to start flooding in. Although few social media circles, like Facebook, seem to have generated positive responses from commenters, the reception seems to be overwhelmingly negative across Reddit, X/Twitter, Instagram, and more.
The backlash has bubbled quick, too. Comments so far range from those questioning why a multi-billion-dollar company is using AI in this way, to the many, many others who have now sworn off seeing The End of Oak Street altogether.
"So, this is a huge f**k up," one popular comment on Instagram said. "I was so ready to go see this film. You've turned a guaranteed ticket sale into someone who just doesn't even want to support any films you put out... Ever. Well done, I guess, was it worth it?"
"This is the cheapest, tackiest looking no-effort s**t," one Reddit user said. "Sure, the hate draws attention but it makes the whole thing look so inconsequential. Disposable. Well done everyone."
"They’ve got two big Hollywood stars and f**king dinosaurs yet they’ve resorted to selling the movie with this bullshit before it’s even out," an X user said.
"Embarrassing as hell," another added.
I WAS going to see this movie.Now I won't. https://t.co/fmGO0CHm30— KrimsonRogue (@KrimsonRogue) August 8, 2026
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I WAS going to see this movie.Now I won't. https://t.co/fmGO0CHm30
pic.twitter.com/A2QGgtyYqN— Stephen Ford (@StephenSeanFord) August 8, 2026
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pic.twitter.com/A2QGgtyYqN
First promo to motivate me to *not* see a movie that I was originally going to see https://t.co/3OLYjkS0Z9— Trey the Explainer (@Trey_Explainer) August 9, 2026
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First promo to motivate me to *not* see a movie that I was originally going to see https://t.co/3OLYjkS0Z9
The Odyssey: look how we put 50 guys in a literal trojan horse half filled with water = billion dollarsProject Hail Mary: check it out, the alien is a literal puppet = 700 million dollarsSinners: here is a 10 minute breakdown on how kodak film works = 400 million dollars… https://t.co/XCx4BD92l7— Luke Barnett (@LukeBarnett) August 9, 2026
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The Odyssey: look how we put 50 guys in a literal trojan horse half filled with water = billion dollarsProject Hail Mary: check it out, the alien is a literal puppet = 700 million dollarsSinners: here is a 10 minute breakdown on how kodak film works = 400 million dollars… https://t.co/XCx4BD92l7
Some online have also expressed confusion about whether AI was used in the making of The End of Oak Street or if the film features any AI-generated elements. For now, there seems to be no sign of that being the case outside of its marketing.
With or without AI, The End of Oak Street will stomp into theaters this week, August 14. Warner Bros. has yet to speak up about the controversy regarding its AI dog video. In the meantime, you can see IGN's list of the biggest movies coming in 2026.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).