The global fast-food chain has taken down a holiday advertisement made via AI following receiving widespread public disapproval.
The 45-second ad was developed with the help of generative AI clips and was originally released publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Social Media Criticism and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, viewers on social media lambasted the implementation of AI in the advert. A number of called it "creepy" and "jarringly assembled".
"This experience represents an valuable learning as we explore the effective utilization of Artificial Intelligence," said a spokesperson from McDonald's Netherlands.
The commercial was produced for McDonald's by Dutch company TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed various scenarios that can go wrong during the festive season, under the tagline "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Trend of AI Commercials
Campaigns that incorporate AI-created content have become a rising phenomenon among major brands, notably for the Christmas season.
- Coca-Cola has recently released back-to-back AI-created Christmas ads.
- Inherent Limitations: Since segments created using generative AI are prone to become unstable the longer they run, most such clips tend to be only a few seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The ad also sparked fears about job displacement in the production sector, with some observers noting it could affect work for camera crews.
Defense from the Creators
Following the commercial being pulled, a producer's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, defended the advert.
According to her, the development required "seven weeks" and involved producing "countless iterations" which were then crafted in post-production "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't an experiment," Bridge asserted. "We consider it a proper commercial."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was predominantly panned, the sentiment for some AI-generated holiday ads has been varied.
For instance, a recent AI-generated holiday ad from another major brand reportedly garnered a 61% "positive feedback" from viewers.
However, various brands have likewise encountered scrutiny for employing the technique in advertising. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was criticized for ads that critics called "cheap" and "uncanny".
The incident illustrates the ongoing debate within the marketing and production industries about the balance between technological innovation and creative integrity.
