McDonald's has removed a Christmas advert produced via Artificial Intelligence after receiving widespread online backlash.
The short ad was created with the help of generative AI clips and was originally published on the YouTube channel for McDonald's Netherlands back on 6 December.
Social Media Reaction and Decision to Pull
Soon after it aired, audiences online lambasted the use of AI in the film. Several described it as "uncanny" and "awkwardly stitched together".
"This experience serves as an valuable learning as we investigate the effective utilization of Artificial Intelligence," commented a representative from the company.
The commercial was produced for McDonald's by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It showed a series of situations that can go wrong over the festive season, using the tagline "the worst time of the year".
A Growing Trend of AI Commercials
Campaigns that include AI tools have become a growing phenomenon among major companies, notably for the holiday campaign season.
- Another beverage giant has also released consecutive AI-created holiday commercials.
- Technical Challenges: As videos produced using current AI video tools are susceptible to distort the longer they run, the majority of such clips tend to be roughly a few seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also raised fears about automation in the advertising industry, with some critics stating it might affect work for actors.
Response from the Production Company
After the ad being taken down, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, stood by the advert.
According to her, the development required "seven weeks" and involved producing "countless iterations" which were then crafted during the edit "just as we would on any standard production".
"This was not an experiment," she said. "We consider it a proper commercial."
Mixed Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was mostly panned, the response for some AI-assisted holiday ads has been varied.
For instance, a recent AI-created Christmas spot from another major brand according to analysis received a significant "positive sentiment rating" from the public.
However, other businesses have likewise encountered criticism for employing the technique in advertising. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was criticized for ads that critics described as "lazy" and "uncanny".
The episode highlights the continuing discussion within the advertising and production sectors about the trade-off between new tools and audience reception.
