The global fast-food chain has taken down a Christmas advertisement created via Artificial Intelligence after encountering considerable criticism on social media.
The brief spot was produced using generative AI clips and was first published on the YouTube channel for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Audience Reaction and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, audiences online criticized the use of AI in the commercial. Many labeled it "creepy" and "awkwardly stitched together".
"This experience represents an important lesson as we examine the effective application of AI," commented a statement from the company.
The commercial was created for the brand by Dutch company TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It showed a series of situations that can go wrong over the Christmas break, with the tagline "not the most wonderful time of the year".
The Movement of AI in Advertising
Adverts that include AI-created content have become a rising phenomenon among major brands, particularly for the Christmas period.
- Coca-Cola has also launched back-to-back AI-generated holiday ads.
- Inherent Limitations: Because videos created with generative AI are more likely to become unstable the more extended they are, most AI video outputs tend to be roughly short in length.
- Industry Concerns: The ad also provoked concerns about automation in the creative industry, with some critics pointing out it could reduce opportunities for production staff.
Response from the Creators
After the video's removal, The Sweetshop's CEO, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the project.
She stated, the production process required "seven weeks" and involved creating "countless iterations" which were then crafted afterward "just as we would on any high-craft production".
"This was not an experiment," she commented. "We consider it a film."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was mostly panned, the sentiment for some AI-assisted holiday ads has been varied.
For instance, a recent AI-created holiday spot from Coca-Cola according to analysis achieved a significant "favorable response" from the public.
However, other businesses have also encountered criticism for employing AI in marketing. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that critics called "lazy" and "uncanny".
The episode illustrates the ongoing debate within the marketing and creative industries about the trade-off between technological innovation and creative integrity.
