McDonald's has pulled a holiday commercial created via Artificial Intelligence after facing considerable criticism on social media.
The brief ad was developed via generative AI clips and was initially released online for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Viewer Criticism and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, commenters criticized the use of AI in the commercial. Many described it as "creepy" and "poorly edited".
"This experience represents an key learning as we explore the proper utilization of AI," stated a representative from McDonald's Netherlands.
The commercial was developed for the brand by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It showed various things that often go badly during the Christmas break, using the slogan "the worst time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI-Generated Ads
Campaigns that include generative AI have emerged as a rising phenomenon among large brands, notably for the Christmas campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has similarly launched back-to-back AI-created holiday commercials.
- Technical Challenges: As clips created with current AI video tools are more likely 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 provoked worries about job displacement in the advertising sector, with some critics pointing out it might negatively impact opportunities for camera crews.
Defense from the Production Company
Following the ad being taken down, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, stood by the project.
According to her, the development required "seven weeks" and involved generating "countless iterations" which were then crafted during the edit "just as we would on any high-craft production".
"This wasn't just an AI gimmick," she said. "The result was a film."
Divisive Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was predominantly criticized, the response for some AI-generated campaigns has been varied.
For instance, a consecutive AI-generated Christmas ad from Coca-Cola according to analysis received a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from the public.
However, other businesses have likewise received criticism for employing AI in advertising. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that some described as "low-effort" and "disturbing".
The episode highlights the ongoing debate within the marketing and creative sectors about the trade-off between new tools and human craftsmanship.
