McDonald's has pulled a Christmas commercial made using AI following encountering considerable criticism on social media.
The 45-second ad was created using AI-generated video and was first published online for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Audience Criticism and Removal
Soon after it aired, commenters denounced the implementation of AI in the film. A number of described it as "disturbing" and "jarringly assembled".
"This incident represents an valuable learning as we investigate the proper use of generative technology," commented a representative from McDonald's Netherlands.
The commercial was created for the brand by Netherlands-based company TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed various scenarios that can go wrong over the Christmas break, under the tagline "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Trend of AI in Advertising
Commercials that incorporate generative AI have become a rising phenomenon among large corporations, notably for the Christmas season.
- Coca-Cola has similarly launched back-to-back AI-generated Christmas commercials.
- Technical Challenges: Since segments made using current AI video tools are susceptible to degrade the more extended they are, most AI video outputs tend to be about short in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also sparked fears about automation in the creative industry, with some commenters pointing out it could negatively impact work for actors.
Defense from the Production Company
After the video's removal, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, defended the project.
According to her, the development required "over a month and a half" and involved generating "numerous versions" which were then shaped during the edit "in the same way we would on any traditional production".
"This was not an AI trick," she said. "The result was a finished piece."
Divisive Public Reception
While the McDonald's commercial was predominantly criticized, the reception for some AI-assisted campaigns has been varied.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created holiday ad from another major brand according to analysis achieved a significant "positive feedback" from viewers.
However, other businesses have also faced criticism for using AI in their campaigns. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that some described as "lazy" and "disturbing".
The situation underscores the ongoing debate within the advertising and production sectors about the trade-off between new tools and audience reception.
