The global fast-food chain has removed a Christmas commercial produced with generative AI after receiving considerable public disapproval.
The brief spot was developed using AI video tools and was originally uploaded online for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Social Media Reaction and Decision to Pull
Soon after it aired, viewers on social media lambasted the implementation of AI in the commercial. A number of labeled it "uncanny" and "jarringly assembled".
"This moment serves as an valuable learning as we investigate the proper application of AI," stated a statement from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was created for McDonald's by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It depicted a series of scenarios that can go wrong over the Christmas break, under the slogan "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Phenomenon of AI in Advertising
Campaigns that feature AI tools have become a rising phenomenon among large brands, especially for the holiday period.
- Coca-Cola has also launched back-to-back AI-generated holiday commercials.
- Inherent Limitations: As segments produced using generative AI are more likely to distort the more extended they are, most such clips tend to be about short in length.
- Broader Implications: The video also raised concerns about job displacement in the advertising industry, with some commenters noting it could affect work for camera crews.
Response from the Creators
Following the commercial being pulled, The Sweetshop's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the advert.
Bridge claimed, the production process required "seven weeks" and involved producing "thousands of takes" which were then crafted during the edit "in the same way we would on any high-craft production".
"This wasn't an AI trick," she said. "The result was a film."
Mixed Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was mostly panned, the sentiment for some AI-generated campaigns has been varied.
For instance, a recent AI-created holiday ad from another major brand according to analysis achieved a significant "positive sentiment rating" from the public.
However, several companies have also encountered scrutiny for using AI in their campaigns. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that critics described as "cheap" and "disturbing".
The incident illustrates the ongoing conversation within the advertising and creative industries about the balance between new tools and audience reception.
