McDonald's has removed a Christmas commercial created using AI following receiving significant online backlash.
The 45-second film was created with the help of AI video tools and was initially published publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Viewer Response and Decision to Pull
Shortly after its release, audiences online denounced the use of AI in the film. Several labeled it "uncanny" and "jarringly assembled".
"This incident represents an key learning as we examine the appropriate utilization of generative technology," stated a statement from the company.
The commercial was developed for McDonald's by Netherlands-based company TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It showed a series of things that might go awry over the holidays, with the slogan "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Trend of AI in Advertising
Campaigns that feature AI tools have become a rising phenomenon among large brands, particularly for the Christmas period.
- Another beverage giant has recently released back-to-back AI-generated holiday commercials.
- Technical Challenges: Because videos created using current AI video tools are prone to degrade the longer they run, most AI video outputs tend to be roughly a few seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also sparked fears about automation in the advertising sector, with some observers pointing out it might affect work for production staff.
Defense from the Production Company
After the ad being taken down, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, stood by the project.
According to her, the development required "seven weeks" and involved generating "countless iterations" which were then crafted in post-production "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't just an experiment," she said. "It was a film."
Mixed Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was mostly panned, the response for some AI-generated campaigns has been divisive.
For instance, a consecutive AI-generated Christmas ad from Coca-Cola according to analysis received a 61% "positive feedback" from viewers.
However, several companies have likewise received scrutiny for employing AI in advertising. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that some called "lazy" and "disturbing".
The episode illustrates the ongoing debate within the marketing and production industries about the balance between new tools and audience reception.
