McDonald's has pulled a Christmas commercial produced with Artificial Intelligence following facing considerable criticism on social media.
The 45-second ad was created using generative AI clips and was first released online for McDonald's Netherlands back on 6 December.
Audience Criticism and Removal
Shortly after its release, viewers on social media criticized the use of AI in the film. Many described it as "creepy" and "poorly edited".
"This incident serves as an valuable learning as we explore the effective use of Artificial Intelligence," said a statement from the company.
The advert was produced for McDonald's by Dutch company TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It depicted various things that often go badly during the holidays, under the tagline "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI Commercials
Campaigns that include AI tools have become a growing phenomenon among major brands, particularly for the Christmas season.
- Another beverage giant has similarly launched consecutive AI-generated holiday commercials.
- Technical Challenges: As videos produced with generative AI are susceptible to become unstable the more extended they are, most AI video outputs tend to be roughly short in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also raised fears about job displacement in the advertising sector, with some critics noting it might negatively impact work 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.
She stated, the production process required "over a month and a half" and involved producing "numerous versions" which were then shaped during the edit "just as we would on any traditional production".
"This wasn't an AI gimmick," she commented. "The result was a proper commercial."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was largely criticized, the response for some AI-generated campaigns has been more mixed.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created holiday ad from another major brand according to analysis achieved a significant "favorable response" from online commenters.
However, other businesses have also encountered criticism for using the technique in marketing. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was criticized for ads that critics called "lazy" and "uncanny".
The episode underscores the continuing debate within the marketing and production industries about the trade-off between AI efficiency and human craftsmanship.
