Apple has officially pulled the latest short film in its “The Underdogs: OOO (Out of Office)” series set in Thailand after receiving complaints about stereotypical portrayals of Thailand and its people in certain scenes. Reports from The Bangkok Post state that Apple issued an apology to the people of Thailand for the controversial ad, which is the fifth film in its Underdogs series featuring a group of travel-weary office workers using Apple products. Criticisms of the film included the use of a sepia filter to depict Thailand as underdeveloped, as well as outdated representations of Thai citizens in the airport scene. Sattra Sripan, spokesman for the Thai House of Representatives’ committee on tourism, called for a boycott of Apple products over the ad. Apple apologized for the commercial and lawmakers have invited Apple representatives to discuss the portrayal of Thailand in their ads. This incident marks the second time this year that Apple has issued an apology for a commercial, the first being for an ad featuring a pneumatic press crushing items representing creative endeavors and implying that generative AI could replace human artistry. Apple pledged not to air the ad on TV, but it remains on their YouTube page with comments disabled.
