McDonald's has removed a Christmas advert made using AI after receiving considerable criticism on social media.
The brief ad was created using AI-generated video and was originally published publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Viewer Response and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, audiences online lambasted the implementation of AI in the advert. A number of described it as "uncanny" and "jarringly assembled".
"This experience serves as an key learning as we examine the proper application of AI," commented a spokesperson from the company.
The commercial was created for McDonald's by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed various situations that can go wrong during the Christmas break, with the tagline "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Phenomenon of AI Commercials
Campaigns that feature generative AI have emerged as a increasing trend among large corporations, particularly for the Christmas period.
- Another beverage giant has also launched consecutive AI-created Christmas ads.
- Inherent Limitations: Because segments created using current AI video tools are susceptible to degrade the more extended they are, most AI video outputs tend to be only short in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also raised concerns about job displacement in the advertising sector, with some critics pointing out it might reduce work for actors.
Response from the Creators
Following the ad being taken down, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, defended the project.
According to her, the development required "over a month and a half" and involved producing "countless iterations" which were then edited in post-production "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't just an AI trick," she said. "The result was a finished piece."
Divisive Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was predominantly panned, the response for some AI-generated holiday ads has been divisive.
For instance, a consecutive AI-generated Christmas spot from Coca-Cola according to analysis achieved a significant "favorable response" from viewers.
However, several companies have also received scrutiny for using the technique in advertising. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that some called "lazy" and "uncanny".
The incident underscores the evolving conversation within the marketing and creative industries about the balance between new tools and human craftsmanship.
