McDonald's has removed a holiday commercial made via Artificial Intelligence after receiving significant public disapproval.
The short film was produced using generative AI clips and was first published publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Social Media Response and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, commenters denounced the employment of AI in the film. Several labeled it "creepy" and "poorly edited".
"This experience serves as an valuable lesson as we investigate the appropriate utilization of AI," commented a representative from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was produced for the brand by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It depicted a series of situations that often go badly during the festive season, under the theme "the worst time of the year".
A Growing Trend of AI Commercials
Campaigns that feature AI-created content have emerged as a rising phenomenon among prominent brands, especially for the Christmas campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has similarly launched consecutive AI-created Christmas commercials.
- Inherent Limitations: Because videos made using generative AI are susceptible to degrade the more extended they are, most AI video outputs tend to be about a few seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also provoked concerns about job displacement in the advertising sector, with some observers stating it could negatively impact work for production staff.
Defense from the Production Company
Following the video's removal, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, defended the project.
According to her, the production process took "seven weeks" and involved creating "thousands of takes" which were then shaped during the edit "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This was not an AI gimmick," she commented. "The result was a film."
Mixed Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was largely criticized, the response for other AI-generated holiday ads has been varied.
For instance, a recent AI-generated Christmas ad from another major brand reportedly achieved a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from the public.
However, other businesses have also received scrutiny for using the technique in their campaigns. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that critics called "cheap" and "disturbing".
The situation illustrates the ongoing debate within the advertising and creative industries about the balance between technological innovation and human craftsmanship.
