The global fast-food chain has removed a holiday advert produced via Artificial Intelligence following encountering widespread online backlash.
The brief spot was produced using AI-generated video and was first published on the YouTube channel for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Audience Reaction and Decision to Pull
Soon after it aired, audiences online criticized the implementation of AI in the film. Many described it as "uncanny" and "awkwardly stitched together".
"This moment serves as an important learning as we examine the proper utilization of AI," said a spokesperson from McDonald's Netherlands.
The commercial was developed for the brand by Netherlands-based company TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed a series of situations that often go badly during the festive season, using the theme "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Phenomenon of AI Commercials
Campaigns that incorporate AI tools have become a growing phenomenon among large corporations, especially for the Christmas season.
- Coca-Cola has similarly launched consecutive AI-created holiday ads.
- Inherent Limitations: Because videos produced with generative AI are susceptible to degrade the longer they run, the majority of such clips tend to be only a few seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The ad also sparked fears about job displacement in the creative industry, with some observers stating it could reduce work for camera crews.
Defense from the Creators
Following the commercial being pulled, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the project.
Bridge claimed, the creation required "over a month and a half" 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. "It was a film."
Divisive Public Reception
While the McDonald's commercial was largely panned, the response for other AI-assisted holiday ads has been more mixed.
For instance, a consecutive AI-generated Christmas spot from Coca-Cola according to analysis garnered a significant "positive sentiment rating" from online commenters.
However, other businesses have also faced criticism for employing AI in advertising. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that some called "cheap" and "uncanny".
The episode underscores the ongoing debate within the marketing and creative industries about the balance between technological innovation and human craftsmanship.
