McDonald's has taken down a holiday advert produced with Artificial Intelligence following encountering significant criticism on social media.
The short film was developed via AI video tools and was first published publicly for McDonald's Netherlands back on 6 December.
Viewer Reaction and Removal
Following its publication, commenters denounced the use of AI in the commercial. Many called it "creepy" and "jarringly assembled".
"This experience is an important learning as we investigate the effective use of AI," said a statement from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was developed for McDonald's by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed a series of things that might go awry during the festive season, using the tagline "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Trend of AI in Advertising
Adverts that include AI tools have become a rising trend among large corporations, notably for the holiday campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has similarly released consecutive AI-generated Christmas ads.
- Technical Challenges: Since clips created with current AI video tools are prone to distort the more extended they are, most AI video outputs tend to be only short in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also sparked concerns about the replacement of human roles in the production industry, with some observers noting it could negatively impact work for actors.
Defense from the Creators
After the commercial being pulled, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the advert.
She stated, the development took "over a month and a half" and involved creating "numerous versions" which were then shaped in post-production "in the same way we would on any high-craft production".
"This wasn't an experiment," Bridge asserted. "We consider it a finished piece."
Divisive Public Reception
While the McDonald's commercial was largely criticized, the reception for other AI-generated holiday ads has been divisive.
For instance, a recent AI-created Christmas ad from another major brand reportedly received a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from online commenters.
However, several companies have also received scrutiny for using the technique in their campaigns. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that critics described as "lazy" and "uncanny".
The incident highlights the evolving discussion within the advertising and creative sectors about the trade-off between AI efficiency and audience reception.
