McDonald's has taken down a holiday advertisement created with AI following encountering considerable public disapproval.
The short ad was developed via generative AI clips and was originally published publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Audience Response and Decision to Pull
Shortly after its release, audiences online criticized the employment of AI in the commercial. Several described it as "uncanny" and "awkwardly stitched together".
"This experience represents an valuable learning as we examine the appropriate utilization of generative technology," commented a statement from the company.
The commercial was developed for the brand by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US firm The Sweetshop. It depicted various situations that might go awry during the Christmas break, with the tagline "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, especially for the holiday period.
- Coca-Cola has similarly launched back-to-back AI-generated Christmas ads.
- Technical Challenges: As segments produced with current AI video tools are prone to degrade the more extended they are, most AI video outputs tend to be only short in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also provoked fears about job displacement in the production sector, with some observers pointing out it could reduce work for actors.
Response from the Creators
After the commercial being pulled, The Sweetshop's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the advert.
She stated, the development took "seven weeks" and involved producing "countless iterations" which were then shaped afterward "just as we would on any traditional production".
"This wasn't an AI trick," Bridge asserted. "The result was a finished piece."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the McDonald's ad was mostly criticized, the response for some AI-assisted campaigns has been divisive.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created holiday spot from another major brand according to analysis received a significant "favorable response" from the public.
However, several companies have also encountered criticism for employing AI in their campaigns. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that some described as "low-effort" and "uncanny".
The incident highlights the evolving debate within the marketing and creative industries about the trade-off between new tools and human craftsmanship.
