The global fast-food chain has pulled a Christmas advertisement created using generative AI following receiving significant online backlash.
The short ad was produced with the help of AI video tools and was initially uploaded publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Social Media Response and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, commenters lambasted the use of AI in the film. Several labeled it "creepy" and "awkwardly stitched together".
"This experience represents an important lesson as we explore the appropriate utilization of generative technology," commented a spokesperson from McDonald's Netherlands.
The commercial was developed for the brand by Dutch company TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed a series of scenarios that can go wrong during the Christmas break, with the tagline "the worst time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI in Advertising
Commercials that incorporate AI tools have become a rising phenomenon among large brands, especially for the Christmas campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has recently released back-to-back AI-generated holiday ads.
- Inherent Limitations: Because videos created with current AI video tools are more likely to distort the longer they run, most such clips tend to be roughly a few seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The video also provoked worries about job displacement in the advertising industry, with some critics stating it could reduce work for production staff.
Defense from the Production Company
Following the ad being taken down, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, defended the project.
Bridge claimed, the creation took "over a month and a half" and involved creating "countless iterations" which were then edited during the edit "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't just an AI trick," she said. "It was a finished piece."
Mixed Public Reception
While the McDonald's commercial was predominantly criticized, the sentiment for other AI-generated campaigns has been varied.
For instance, a recent AI-generated Christmas spot from another major brand reportedly garnered a 61% "favorable response" from viewers.
However, other businesses have also received backlash for employing the technique in their campaigns. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that some described as "low-effort" and "disturbing".
The episode underscores the ongoing debate within the advertising and production sectors about the trade-off between technological innovation and human craftsmanship.
