The global fast-food chain has taken down a Christmas commercial produced using Artificial Intelligence after receiving considerable public disapproval.
The brief spot was produced via AI video tools and was originally released online for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Viewer Response and Decision to Pull
Soon after it aired, commenters lambasted the employment of AI in the film. Several described it as "uncanny" and "jarringly assembled".
"This moment represents an valuable learning as we examine the proper use of generative technology," stated a representative from the company.
The advert was produced for McDonald's by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed various scenarios that can go wrong over the holidays, using the tagline "the worst time of the year".
A Growing Phenomenon of AI in Advertising
Commercials that feature AI tools have emerged as a increasing trend among prominent brands, particularly for the holiday campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has also released consecutive AI-created Christmas commercials.
- Technical Challenges: As segments created with generative AI are more likely to degrade the longer they run, most such clips tend to be only a few seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The video also raised fears about the replacement of human roles in the production sector, with some critics pointing out it could reduce opportunities for production staff.
Defense from the Creators
Following the ad being taken down, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the project.
According to her, the development took "over a month and a half" and involved creating "countless iterations" which were then crafted during the edit "just as we would on any high-craft production".
"This wasn't just an experiment," she said. "We consider it a proper commercial."
Divisive Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was largely criticized, the reception for some AI-generated holiday ads has been more mixed.
For instance, a recent AI-created Christmas spot from another major brand reportedly achieved a significant "positive sentiment rating" from viewers.
However, other businesses have also faced criticism for using the technique in advertising. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was criticized for ads that some described as "cheap" and "disturbing".
The episode illustrates the continuing discussion within the advertising and production sectors about the trade-off between AI efficiency and creative integrity.
