McDonald's has taken down a Christmas advertisement produced via AI following facing considerable online backlash.
The 45-second ad was created with the help of AI-generated video and was initially uploaded on the YouTube channel for McDonald's Netherlands back on 6 December.
Social Media Reaction and Removal
Following its publication, viewers on social media lambasted the implementation of AI in the commercial. Many labeled it "creepy" and "poorly edited".
"This experience is an valuable lesson as we explore the proper use of Artificial Intelligence," commented a statement from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was developed for McDonald's by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It showed various situations that can go wrong during the Christmas break, using the tagline "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Trend of AI-Generated Ads
Commercials that feature AI-created content have emerged as a rising trend among major companies, particularly for the Christmas campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has recently launched back-to-back AI-created holiday commercials.
- Inherent Limitations: Because clips made with current AI video tools are more likely to become unstable the more extended they are, the majority of such clips tend to be roughly a few seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The ad also provoked worries about job displacement in the production sector, with some critics noting it could negatively impact work for camera crews.
Response from the Production Company
Following the commercial being pulled, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, defended the project.
Bridge claimed, the production process required "seven weeks" and involved generating "countless iterations" which were then shaped during the edit "just as we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't just an experiment," she said. "We consider it a finished piece."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the McDonald's ad was mostly criticized, the sentiment for some AI-generated holiday ads has been more mixed.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created Christmas ad from another major brand reportedly garnered a 61% "positive feedback" from online commenters.
However, various brands have also faced scrutiny for using the technique in their campaigns. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that some called "cheap" and "uncanny".
The episode illustrates the evolving conversation within the marketing and production industries about the trade-off between technological innovation and creative integrity.
