The Fast-Food Giant Takes Down AI-Generated Christmas Ad After Online Criticism.
The global fast-food chain has removed a holiday advertisement produced using Artificial Intelligence following encountering widespread online backlash.
The brief film was produced using AI video tools and was initially published on the YouTube channel for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Viewer Response and Decision to Pull
Soon after it aired, viewers on social media criticized the use of AI in the commercial. A number of called it "disturbing" and "poorly edited".
"This experience represents an valuable learning as we investigate the effective use of AI," commented a representative from McDonald's Netherlands.
The commercial was created for McDonald's by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and US firm The Sweetshop. It portrayed a series of scenarios that might go awry over the Christmas break, using the tagline "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Trend of AI-Generated Ads
Adverts that include generative AI have emerged as a rising trend among prominent brands, particularly for the Christmas campaign season.
- Another beverage giant has recently launched back-to-back AI-created Christmas ads.
- Inherent Limitations: As clips produced with generative AI are susceptible to degrade the longer they run, the majority of such clips tend to be roughly six to 10 seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also sparked concerns about the replacement of human roles in the advertising industry, with some commenters pointing out it might reduce work for production staff.
Defense from the Creators
After the video's removal, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, stood by the advert.
She stated, the creation took "seven weeks" and involved creating "thousands of takes" which were then shaped during the edit "just as we would on any standard production".
"This was not an AI trick," she said. "The result was a finished piece."
Mixed Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was largely panned, the response for some AI-assisted holiday ads has been divisive.
For instance, a recent AI-generated holiday spot from another major brand reportedly garnered a significant "positive sentiment rating" from the public.
However, other businesses have also faced backlash for using AI in advertising. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that some described as "lazy" and "disturbing".
The situation highlights the continuing debate within the advertising and production industries about the trade-off between AI efficiency and creative integrity.