McDonald's has pulled a Christmas advertisement created via AI after encountering widespread online backlash.
The short spot was produced using generative AI clips and was originally released online for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Audience Reaction and Decision to Pull
Soon after it aired, viewers on social media criticized the implementation of AI in the film. A number of labeled it "creepy" and "poorly edited".
"This experience is an key lesson as we examine the appropriate utilization of Artificial Intelligence," stated a representative from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was developed for the brand by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It depicted various things that can go wrong over the festive season, using the slogan "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Trend of AI in Advertising
Commercials that incorporate AI-created content have become a increasing phenomenon among large companies, particularly for the holiday period.
- Coca-Cola has recently launched consecutive AI-created Christmas commercials.
- Technical Challenges: As segments produced using generative AI are prone to degrade the longer they run, most AI video outputs tend to be only a few seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The ad also raised fears about the replacement of human roles in the production sector, with some commenters noting it could negatively impact work for camera crews.
Response from the Production Company
After the video's removal, a producer's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, stood by the project.
According to her, the production process required "seven weeks" and involved generating "countless iterations" which were then crafted in post-production "in the same way we would on any traditional production".
"This was not an AI gimmick," Bridge asserted. "It was a film."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the McDonald's commercial was largely criticized, the reception for other AI-assisted holiday ads has been more mixed.
For instance, a recent AI-generated Christmas spot from Coca-Cola reportedly garnered a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from viewers.
However, other businesses have likewise encountered criticism for employing AI in marketing. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that critics described as "low-effort" and "uncanny".
The episode underscores the evolving conversation within the marketing and production industries about the balance between AI efficiency and human craftsmanship.
