McDonald's has removed a holiday advertisement created via Artificial Intelligence following receiving considerable online backlash.
The brief film was created using AI video tools and was first uploaded on the YouTube channel for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Social Media Response and Decision to Pull
Soon after it aired, viewers on social media denounced the employment of AI in the commercial. Many described it as "creepy" and "awkwardly stitched together".
"This experience serves as an important learning as we investigate the appropriate application of Artificial Intelligence," stated a spokesperson from the company.
The advert was produced for the brand by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US firm The Sweetshop. It portrayed a series of things that often go badly over the holidays, under the tagline "the worst time of the year".
The Phenomenon of AI Commercials
Campaigns that include generative AI have emerged as a rising trend among prominent corporations, notably for the holiday period.
- Coca-Cola has similarly released consecutive AI-generated Christmas ads.
- Technical Challenges: Because videos produced with generative AI are susceptible to degrade the more extended they are, the majority of such clips tend to be roughly short in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also sparked worries about job displacement in the advertising sector, with some observers stating it could reduce work for production staff.
Response from the Creators
After the video's removal, a producer's head, Melanie Bridge, stood by the advert.
According to her, the development required "over a month and a half" and involved creating "countless iterations" which were then shaped afterward "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't an AI trick," she said. "The result was a finished piece."
Mixed Audience Sentiment
While the McDonald's ad was predominantly panned, the reception for other AI-assisted holiday ads has been varied.
For instance, a recent AI-generated holiday spot from another major brand reportedly achieved a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from the public.
However, several companies have also encountered scrutiny for using the technique in their campaigns. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that some described as "cheap" and "disturbing".
The incident highlights the continuing discussion within the advertising and creative sectors about the trade-off between new tools and audience reception.
