The global fast-food chain has taken down a Christmas commercial made with generative AI following facing significant online backlash.
The 45-second spot was produced via AI-generated video and was first uploaded publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Viewer Criticism and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, viewers on social media criticized the use of AI in the film. Several described it as "uncanny" and "poorly edited".
"This incident is an valuable learning as we explore the appropriate use of generative technology," said a representative from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was produced for McDonald's by Dutch company TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It showed various situations that might go awry over the festive season, with the theme "the worst time of the year".
A Growing Phenomenon of AI Commercials
Adverts that feature AI tools have become a rising trend among major brands, especially for the Christmas campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has recently released back-to-back AI-generated holiday commercials.
- Technical Challenges: Since videos made with generative AI are prone to distort the longer they run, the majority of such clips tend to be roughly a few seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also provoked fears about job displacement in the creative sector, with some critics stating it might reduce work for camera crews.
Response from the Production Company
After the commercial being pulled, a producer's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, stood by the project.
Bridge claimed, the development required "over a month and a half" and involved generating "countless iterations" which were then edited afterward "in the same way we would on any high-craft production".
"This wasn't just an AI trick," Bridge asserted. "It was a proper commercial."
Divisive Public Reception
While the McDonald's commercial was largely criticized, the sentiment for other AI-assisted holiday ads has been more mixed.
For instance, a recent AI-created holiday ad from Coca-Cola according to analysis garnered a 61% "favorable response" from online commenters.
However, various brands have also encountered backlash for employing the technique in their campaigns. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that critics called "lazy" and "disturbing".
The incident illustrates the continuing conversation within the advertising and production sectors about the trade-off between new tools and human craftsmanship.
