Brief

AI-recreated Greta Garbo appears in SKF ball‑bearing advert

The Swedish industrial firm SKF used AI to recreate the silent‑film star for a short advert, prompting comments from her family representative.

By Felo News Desk · Published Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:14:50 GMT

Swedish bearing manufacturer SKF released a 99‑second advert that features an AI‑generated version of classic Hollywood actress Greta Garbo, the Guardian reported on September 30.

Craig Reisfield, one of three relatives who manage Garbo’s legacy, said he was “flabbergasted” by the realism of the AI recreation and did not rule out future film roles for the digital likeness.

The advert was produced without feeding actual footage of Garbo into the AI models; instead, text prompts guided tools such as China’s Seedream and Google’s Nano Banana Pro to generate her appearance, which was then overlaid on a human actor. Her voice was reconstructed from an early recording.

Key facts

• SKF released a 99‑second advert featuring an AI‑generated Greta Garbo. (theguardian.com)
• Craig Reisfield, a Garbo legacy manager, said he was "flabbergasted" by the AI version. (theguardian.com)
• The AI models used included China's Seedream and Google's Nano Banana Pro, driven by text prompts rather than original footage. (theguardian.com)

Sources

• [1] theguardian.com — originally reported as “Reanimated AI Greta Garbo stars again … in a ball-bearing advert”