McDonald's has taken down a holiday commercial produced using Artificial Intelligence after receiving significant online backlash.
The short spot was developed using AI video tools and was first uploaded publicly for McDonald's Netherlands on 6 December.
Audience Reaction and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, commenters lambasted the implementation of AI in the film. A number of labeled it "disturbing" and "poorly edited".
"This experience serves as an important lesson as we investigate the effective use of AI," said a spokesperson from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was developed for McDonald's by Netherlands-based company TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It showed various scenarios that can go wrong during the festive season, using the tagline "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Phenomenon of AI-Generated Ads
Campaigns that include AI tools have become a rising phenomenon among large corporations, notably for the Christmas campaign season.
- Another beverage giant has also released back-to-back AI-generated holiday ads.
- Technical Challenges: Because videos produced with current AI video tools are prone to degrade the longer they run, the majority of such clips tend to be about short in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also raised concerns about automation in the advertising sector, with some critics pointing out it might reduce opportunities for production staff.
Defense from the Production Company
After the ad being taken down, The Sweetshop's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the advert.
Bridge claimed, the development required "seven weeks" and involved producing "countless iterations" which were then shaped afterward "just as we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't an experiment," she said. "We consider it a film."
Divisive Public Reception
While the McDonald's ad was predominantly criticized, the reception for some AI-assisted campaigns has been divisive.
For instance, a recent AI-generated holiday ad from Coca-Cola reportedly received a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from the public.
However, several companies have also encountered backlash for using AI in their campaigns. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that critics described as "low-effort" and "uncanny".
The episode illustrates the continuing conversation within the marketing and production sectors about the trade-off between AI efficiency and creative integrity.
