The global fast-food chain has removed a holiday commercial made with AI following receiving significant criticism on social media.
The 45-second spot was created using AI video tools and was first released online for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Audience Reaction and Removal
Soon after it aired, commenters lambasted the employment of AI in the film. A number of called it "uncanny" and "poorly edited".
"This moment is an important learning as we investigate the effective use of Artificial Intelligence," stated a statement from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was developed for McDonald's by Netherlands-based company TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It depicted a series of scenarios that can go wrong during the Christmas break, with the tagline "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI-Generated Ads
Adverts that incorporate generative AI have become a increasing phenomenon among major brands, especially for the holiday period.
- Another beverage giant has recently released back-to-back AI-generated holiday commercials.
- Technical Challenges: Because videos produced using generative AI are more likely to become unstable the more extended they are, most AI video outputs tend to be only six to 10 seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also sparked fears about job displacement in the production sector, with some critics pointing out it might reduce work for production staff.
Defense from the Production Company
After the video's removal, a producer's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, defended the project.
She stated, the development required "over a month and a half" and involved creating "countless iterations" which were then edited in post-production "just as we would on any standard production".
"This was not an AI trick," she said. "The result was a proper commercial."
Mixed Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was mostly criticized, the response for other AI-generated holiday ads has been varied.
For instance, a recent AI-created Christmas spot from Coca-Cola reportedly garnered a significant "positive sentiment rating" from viewers.
However, other businesses have also received backlash for employing the technique in advertising. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that some called "cheap" and "disturbing".
The situation underscores the ongoing discussion within the marketing and creative industries about the balance between new tools and audience reception.
