The global fast-food chain has removed a Christmas advert produced with AI following facing widespread online backlash.
The brief spot was created using generative AI clips and was originally uploaded online for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Audience Criticism and Removal
Soon after it aired, audiences online criticized the employment of AI in the film. Several described it as "uncanny" and "awkwardly stitched together".
"This incident serves as an valuable lesson as we investigate the proper use of Artificial Intelligence," stated a spokesperson from the company.
The advert was developed for McDonald's by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US firm The Sweetshop. It portrayed various situations that often go badly over the Christmas break, using the tagline "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Trend of AI Commercials
Campaigns that feature AI tools have emerged as a rising phenomenon among large brands, notably for the holiday campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has also released consecutive AI-generated Christmas commercials.
- Inherent Limitations: Since clips made using generative AI are prone to distort the longer they run, most AI video outputs tend to be roughly short in length.
- Industry Concerns: The ad also sparked concerns about the replacement of human roles in the advertising industry, with some commenters pointing out it might negatively impact opportunities for production staff.
Defense from the Production Company
Following the commercial being pulled, The Sweetshop's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the project.
According to her, the development took "over a month and a half" and involved generating "numerous versions" which were then edited afterward "in the same way we would on any high-craft production".
"This wasn't just an AI trick," she commented. "The result was a finished piece."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was predominantly panned, the reception for other AI-generated campaigns has been more mixed.
For instance, a recent AI-created holiday ad from Coca-Cola according to analysis received a significant "positive sentiment rating" from the public.
However, other businesses have also received scrutiny for employing the technique in advertising. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that some called "low-effort" and "disturbing".
The incident highlights the continuing debate within the marketing and production industries about the trade-off between technological innovation and human craftsmanship.
