The global fast-food chain has taken down a Christmas advertisement produced with generative AI following encountering considerable public disapproval.
The brief spot was produced using AI video tools and was first released publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Viewer Criticism and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, viewers on social media denounced the implementation of AI in the advert. Many described it as "uncanny" and "poorly edited".
"This experience represents an important learning as we examine the appropriate utilization of Artificial Intelligence," commented a spokesperson from the company.
The advert was created for McDonald's by Dutch company TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It portrayed a series of situations that can go wrong over the Christmas break, using the slogan "the worst time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI in Advertising
Commercials that feature AI-created content have emerged as a rising trend among major corporations, particularly for the holiday season.
- Another beverage giant has similarly released back-to-back AI-generated holiday commercials.
- Technical Challenges: As videos created using current AI video tools are prone to distort the longer they run, the majority of AI video outputs tend to be about a few seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The ad also sparked fears about the replacement of human roles in the creative industry, with some critics pointing out it could affect work for actors.
Response from the Creators
After the commercial being pulled, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the project.
She stated, the production process took "over a month and a half" and involved creating "countless iterations" which were then edited in post-production "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't an AI trick," she commented. "The result was a finished piece."
Divisive Public Reception
While the McDonald's ad was predominantly criticized, the sentiment for other AI-assisted holiday ads has been varied.
For instance, a consecutive AI-generated Christmas spot from another major brand according to analysis garnered a 61% "positive feedback" from online commenters.
However, other businesses have likewise faced criticism for using the technique in their campaigns. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that some called "lazy" and "uncanny".
The incident underscores the ongoing discussion within the marketing and creative sectors about the trade-off between AI efficiency and human craftsmanship.
