The global fast-food chain has pulled a Christmas advert created via Artificial Intelligence following receiving considerable online backlash.
The 45-second ad was produced via AI-generated video and was initially published on the YouTube channel for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Audience Response and Decision to Pull
Shortly after its release, commenters criticized the employment of AI in the film. A number of called it "creepy" and "jarringly assembled".
"This incident represents an important learning as we investigate the proper utilization of generative technology," commented a representative from the company.
The commercial was developed for McDonald's by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It showed a series of scenarios that often go badly over the Christmas break, under the tagline "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI in Advertising
Campaigns that include AI-created content have emerged as a rising phenomenon among prominent corporations, especially for the Christmas period.
- Coca-Cola has also launched back-to-back AI-created holiday commercials.
- Inherent Limitations: Since videos produced using current AI video tools are more likely to become unstable the longer they run, the majority of AI video outputs tend to be about six to 10 seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also sparked fears about the replacement of human roles in the production sector, with some observers pointing out it could affect opportunities for production staff.
Defense from the Creators
Following the commercial being pulled, a producer's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, stood by the project.
According to her, the production process took "over a month and a half" and involved creating "numerous versions" which were then shaped afterward "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't an AI gimmick," she said. "The result was a proper commercial."
Divisive Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was predominantly panned, the reception for some AI-generated holiday ads has been more mixed.
For instance, a recent AI-created holiday spot from another major brand according to analysis achieved a significant "favorable response" from viewers.
However, various brands have also received backlash for employing the technique in marketing. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was criticized for ads that critics described as "cheap" and "disturbing".
The episode underscores the ongoing conversation within the marketing and creative sectors about the trade-off between technological innovation and creative integrity.
