McDonald's has pulled a Christmas advertisement produced with generative AI following encountering significant online backlash.
The 45-second film was created using AI video tools and was originally published online for McDonald's Netherlands back on 6 December.
Audience Reaction and Decision to Pull
Shortly after its release, viewers on social media lambasted the use of AI in the film. Several called it "uncanny" and "jarringly assembled".
"This incident represents an important lesson as we explore the proper use of Artificial Intelligence," stated a statement from the company.
The advert was created for the brand by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It showed various situations that can go wrong over the festive season, under the tagline "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI Commercials
Campaigns that incorporate AI tools have emerged as a rising trend among large companies, notably for the holiday campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has recently launched back-to-back AI-generated Christmas commercials.
- Technical Challenges: As segments made with current AI video tools are susceptible to distort the longer they run, the majority of AI video outputs tend to be only six to 10 seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also provoked fears about automation in the creative sector, with some commenters stating it could negatively impact work for actors.
Defense from the Production Company
Following the commercial being pulled, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, defended the advert.
She stated, the development took "seven weeks" and involved creating "countless iterations" which were then shaped in post-production "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't just an experiment," she said. "The result was a film."
Mixed Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was largely criticized, the sentiment for other AI-generated campaigns has been varied.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created Christmas spot from Coca-Cola according to analysis achieved a significant "positive sentiment rating" from online commenters.
However, several companies have likewise encountered criticism for employing AI in advertising. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that some described as "low-effort" and "uncanny".
The incident illustrates the continuing conversation within the marketing and creative industries about the trade-off between technological innovation and audience reception.
