On Christmas Eve 2025, Apple CEO Tim Cook shared a simple holiday message on X (what used to be Twitter). It said, “Merry Christmas Eve, Carol. Be sure to leave some milk out for Santa.” Along with it was a picture of milk and cookies by a Christmas tree. At first, it looked like a fun nod to the holidays. But soon, people online started calling it “AI slop” – that’s slang for bad, fake art made by artificial intelligence. They thought Cook had used AI to make the image as a quick promo for an Apple TV+ show called Pluribus. This kicked off a huge online fight, with thousands of comments and posts about it.
The image shows a plate with three yellow cookies that have smiley faces drawn on them. One cookie has a bite taken out of it. Next to the plate is a blue carton of milk. The carton has weird labels: it says “Whole Milk” on one part and “Lowfat Milk” on another. There’s also a “Cow Fun Puzzle” maze on the side that looks silly and not quite right. In the background is a blurry Christmas tree with lights and a bright star on top. The whole thing has a warm, yellow glow, like an old painting. At the bottom right, there’s a signature that says “K Thomson.”
People quickly pointed out the odd parts. Why does the milk say two different things? Why is the maze goofy? And the cookies look too perfect, like something a computer would make. Tech blogger John Gruber wrote a post called “Tim Cook Posts AI Slop in Christmas Message on Twitter/X, Ostensibly to Promote ‘Pluribus’.” He said the details were sloppy, like AI often makes mistakes. On sites like Reddit and X, users piled on. Some said it was embarrassing for Apple, a company that prides itself on great design, to use cheap AI art. Others joked that even the CEO was falling for the AI hype. One user said, “The world is so cooked that people saw this obvious promo for Pluribus and thought it was AI – missing the point.”
But then Apple stepped in to clear things up. The official Apple TV+ account on X retweeted Cook’s post and added: “We thought you might like this festive artwork by Keith Thomson, made on MacBook Pro.” They said it was real art by a human artist, not AI. Keith Thomson is a known painter who makes whimsical, detailed works, kind of like a modern Edward Hopper. His style is hand-drawn, often with fun, story-like scenes. Apple didn’t tag Thomson, but people found his website and saw his other paintings are beautiful and not AI at all.
Here’s the twist: The “mistakes” in the image aren’t mistakes. They’re on purpose, to tease the show Pluribus. Pluribus is a new sci-fi drama on Apple TV+, created by Vince Gilligan, the guy behind Breaking Bad. It stars Rhea Seehorn as Carol, a main character. The show is set in a dystopian world and deals with themes like individuality, collectives, and weird tech. Milk plays a big role in the story – something about it in the plot that fans know. The open spout on the milk carton touches a shiny light on the tree, which hints at a key scene. The smiley cookies might represent characters or ideas from the show, like how people lose their uniqueness.
The three whole cookies and one bitten one could symbolize erosion or group efforts, tying into the show’s story about choices rippling out. Even the yellow tone matches the show’s posters, which have a warm but uncanny feel. Pluribus has been a hit, breaking records for views on Apple TV+. Its first episodes beat out other shows like Severance. The post was timed right before the season finale, to get fans excited.
When Apple explained, some people felt bad for jumping to conclusions. But others still doubted. Slashdot reached out to Thomson, who said he always draws by hand and uses digital tools sometimes, but didn’t talk about this piece specifically. A blog called Spyglass wondered if the “slop” was intentional, like the show using AI as a metaphor. In the series, there’s a “collective” that might be sending messages, and maybe the image is from that world.
This whole mess shows how tricky AI has made things. Now, any odd image gets called AI slop, even if it’s not. Ironically, on Christmas Day, Google CEO Sundar Pichai posted a real AI-made image of a snow globe, with a Gemini watermark. People loved it and didn’t complain. No one called it slop. It highlights a double standard – Apple gets hit hard because they push “human creativity,” while Google embraces AI.
From a tech angle, this event points to bigger issues. AI art is everywhere, and it’s hard to tell real from fake. Tools like AI detectors might help, but they’re not perfect. Companies like Apple have been caught using AI when they shouldn’t, so people are quick to judge. But harassing an artist like Thomson over rumors isn’t fair. It shows how online mobs can hurt real people.
Pluribus itself might be commenting on this. The show is about AI, tech, and society, with fears of world-ending stuff like atom bombs. Maybe Cook’s post is a clever tie-in, making us think about AI in our lives. As season one ends, fans are buzzing for more. Viewership is high, and it’s ranked top on the platform.
In the end, what started as a holiday greet turned into a lesson on not assuming too fast. Tim Cook probably didn’t mean to start a debate, but it got more eyes on Pluribus. If you’re into sci-fi, check it out – just don’t judge the art too quick. As AI gets better, these mix-ups might happen more. For now, Apple says it’s human art, and that’s the official word. Here’s the image that caused all the stir:
Apple had to step in after Tim Cook’s holiday art sparked a viral …
What do you think – AI or not? The debate goes on, but at least it made Christmas a bit more exciting in the tech world. Stay tuned for season two of Pluribus in 2026.
