McDonald's has removed a holiday advertisement created with Artificial Intelligence after receiving considerable public disapproval.
The brief film was developed via AI video tools and was first published publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Audience Criticism and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, commenters criticized the use of AI in the commercial. Several described it as "disturbing" and "poorly edited".
"This incident represents an valuable lesson as we investigate the appropriate application of AI," stated a spokesperson from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was produced for the brand by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and US firm The Sweetshop. It depicted a series of scenarios that can go wrong during the holidays, under the tagline "not the most wonderful time of the year".
The Movement of AI Commercials
Adverts that incorporate AI tools have emerged as a rising phenomenon among prominent companies, particularly for the holiday season.
- Coca-Cola has similarly launched back-to-back AI-generated Christmas ads.
- Inherent Limitations: Because clips made using generative AI are prone to degrade the more extended they are, most AI video outputs tend to be only six to 10 seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also provoked worries about job displacement in the advertising industry, with some observers stating it could affect opportunities for production staff.
Defense from the Creators
After the commercial being pulled, a producer's head, Melanie Bridge, stood by the advert.
She stated, the development required "seven weeks" and involved creating "countless iterations" which were then edited during the edit "just as we would on any traditional production".
"This was not an experiment," Bridge asserted. "We consider it a finished piece."
Divisive Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was largely panned, the response for some AI-assisted holiday ads has been more mixed.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created holiday spot from another major brand according to analysis received a significant "favorable response" from viewers.
However, several companies have also received backlash for using the technique in advertising. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that critics described as "lazy" and "disturbing".
The episode illustrates the evolving debate within the advertising and production industries about the trade-off between AI efficiency and human craftsmanship.
