McDonald's has removed a holiday advertisement created using Artificial Intelligence following facing considerable public disapproval.
The brief ad was produced using AI-generated video and was first published on the YouTube channel for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Audience Response and Decision to Pull
Shortly after its release, commenters criticized the implementation of AI in the commercial. Several called it "uncanny" and "poorly edited".
"This incident serves as an valuable learning as we examine the effective use of generative technology," said a representative from the company.
The commercial was created for the brand by Dutch company TBWA\Neboko and US firm The Sweetshop. It depicted various things that can go wrong during the festive season, under the slogan "not the most wonderful time of the year".
The Movement of AI-Generated Ads
Commercials that feature generative AI have emerged as a rising trend among large corporations, notably for the holiday period.
- Coca-Cola has also launched back-to-back AI-generated Christmas commercials.
- Technical Challenges: As videos produced with current AI video tools are more likely to distort the more extended they are, the majority of AI video outputs tend to be roughly six to 10 seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The ad also raised concerns about job displacement in the production industry, with some critics noting it could reduce work for production staff.
Defense from the Production Company
Following the video's removal, a producer's head, Melanie Bridge, defended the project.
Bridge claimed, the development required "seven weeks" and involved creating "thousands of takes" which were then shaped afterward "just as we would on any high-craft production".
"This wasn't just an AI gimmick," Bridge asserted. "We consider it a film."
Mixed Audience Sentiment
While the McDonald's commercial was largely criticized, the sentiment for other AI-generated campaigns has been more mixed.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created Christmas ad from another major brand according to analysis garnered a significant "positive sentiment rating" from online commenters.
However, other businesses have likewise received scrutiny for using the technique in their campaigns. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that some called "lazy" and "disturbing".
The episode underscores the continuing debate within the advertising and creative sectors about the trade-off between AI efficiency and audience reception.
