McDonald's has pulled a holiday commercial created via Artificial Intelligence after encountering considerable public disapproval.
The short spot was produced with the help of AI-generated video and was initially published online for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Social Media Reaction and Decision to Pull
Soon after it aired, commenters denounced the implementation of AI in the film. Many called it "creepy" and "jarringly assembled".
"This incident represents an key learning as we examine the effective use of AI," commented a spokesperson from the company.
The commercial was created for McDonald's by Netherlands-based company TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It showed various things that might go awry over the Christmas break, under the theme "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI Commercials
Commercials that feature AI-created content have become a rising phenomenon among major companies, particularly for the Christmas campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has recently released back-to-back AI-generated holiday ads.
- Inherent Limitations: Because clips made using generative AI are more likely to become unstable the more extended they are, most such clips tend to be only six to 10 seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also sparked fears about job displacement in the production industry, with some observers pointing out it might negatively impact opportunities for actors.
Response from the Production Company
After the video's removal, a producer's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, defended the advert.
She stated, the creation took "over a month and a half" and involved producing "thousands of takes" which were then edited during the edit "just as we would on any standard production".
"This was not an AI gimmick," Bridge asserted. "We consider it a proper commercial."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was mostly criticized, the response for other AI-assisted campaigns has been varied.
For instance, a recent AI-created holiday ad from Coca-Cola reportedly garnered a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from online commenters.
However, other businesses have likewise faced criticism for employing AI in marketing. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that some called "low-effort" and "uncanny".
The incident underscores the continuing conversation within the marketing and creative industries about the trade-off between AI efficiency and human craftsmanship.
