McDonald's has removed a holiday advert made via AI following facing significant online backlash.
The brief spot was produced using generative AI clips and was first published publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Viewer Criticism and Decision to Pull
Soon after it aired, audiences online lambasted the use of AI in the commercial. Several called it "disturbing" and "jarringly assembled".
"This incident serves as an valuable learning as we investigate the proper application of Artificial Intelligence," stated a spokesperson from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was produced for McDonald's by Netherlands-based company TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It showed a series of situations that can go wrong over the Christmas break, under the slogan "the worst time of the year".
A Growing Phenomenon of AI Commercials
Campaigns that feature AI-created content have become a rising phenomenon among large corporations, especially for the Christmas period.
- Another beverage giant has also launched back-to-back AI-created Christmas commercials.
- Inherent Limitations: Since clips created using generative AI are susceptible to become unstable the more extended they are, most AI video outputs tend to be about short in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also sparked concerns about the replacement of human roles in the creative industry, with some observers pointing out it could reduce work for production staff.
Response from the Creators
After the video's removal, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, defended the project.
Bridge claimed, the development took "seven weeks" and involved producing "numerous versions" which were then crafted in post-production "in the same way we would on any traditional production".
"This was not an AI gimmick," she said. "The result was a proper commercial."
Divisive Public Reception
While the McDonald's commercial was mostly panned, the response for other AI-generated campaigns has been divisive.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created holiday spot from another major brand reportedly garnered a significant "favorable response" from viewers.
However, various brands have likewise received scrutiny for employing AI in marketing. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that critics described as "cheap" and "uncanny".
The incident illustrates the evolving discussion within the marketing and creative sectors about the balance between new tools and audience reception.
