The global fast-food chain has taken down a Christmas advert created with Artificial Intelligence after receiving significant criticism on social media.
The 45-second film was created via generative AI clips and was initially published on the YouTube channel for McDonald's Netherlands back on 6 December.
Social Media Criticism and Removal
Soon after it aired, audiences online criticized the employment of AI in the film. A number of called it "disturbing" and "jarringly assembled".
"This moment represents an important lesson as we examine the proper utilization of AI," stated a spokesperson from McDonald's Netherlands.
The commercial was produced for McDonald's by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It showed various things that can go wrong during the holidays, under the tagline "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Phenomenon of AI in Advertising
Commercials that incorporate AI tools have emerged as a rising trend among large corporations, particularly for the holiday campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has also released back-to-back AI-created Christmas commercials.
- Technical Challenges: Since segments produced using current AI video tools are more likely to degrade the longer they run, most such clips tend to be roughly six to 10 seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also sparked worries about automation in the creative sector, with some observers noting it might negatively impact opportunities for camera crews.
Defense from the Creators
Following the video's removal, a producer's head, Melanie Bridge, stood by the advert.
According to her, the production process took "seven weeks" and involved creating "countless iterations" which were then shaped during the edit "just as we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't an AI trick," she commented. "We consider it a finished piece."
Divisive Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was predominantly panned, the sentiment for some AI-assisted holiday ads has been divisive.
For instance, a recent AI-created Christmas spot from another major brand according to analysis achieved a 61% "favorable response" from the public.
However, other businesses have also received criticism for using the technique in their campaigns. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that critics described as "low-effort" and "uncanny".
The incident underscores the evolving conversation within the marketing and production industries about the trade-off between new tools and human craftsmanship.
