McDonald's has pulled a Christmas commercial created with AI after facing significant public disapproval.
The brief film was created via AI video tools and was initially uploaded publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Social Media Reaction and Decision to Pull
Soon after it aired, commenters lambasted the implementation of AI in the commercial. Many described it as "disturbing" and "jarringly assembled".
"This moment is an valuable lesson as we investigate the proper application of Artificial Intelligence," said a representative from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was produced for McDonald's by Netherlands-based company TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It portrayed various things that often go badly over the Christmas break, with the theme "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Phenomenon of AI Commercials
Adverts that include AI-created content have become a growing trend among large corporations, particularly for the Christmas campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has also launched back-to-back AI-generated Christmas commercials.
- Inherent Limitations: Because segments created with generative AI are susceptible to distort the longer they run, the majority of such clips tend to be about six to 10 seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also sparked concerns about job displacement in the production sector, with some commenters stating it might reduce work for production staff.
Response from the Production Company
Following the commercial being pulled, a producer's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, stood by the project.
Bridge claimed, the production process took "seven weeks" and involved creating "countless iterations" which were then shaped in post-production "in the same way we would on any traditional production".
"This wasn't an experiment," she said. "The result was a finished piece."
Mixed Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was predominantly criticized, the reception for some AI-generated campaigns has been varied.
For instance, a consecutive AI-generated Christmas ad from Coca-Cola according to analysis received a significant "favorable response" from viewers.
However, several companies have likewise encountered backlash for using the technique in their campaigns. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was criticized for ads that some called "lazy" and "uncanny".
The situation illustrates the evolving conversation within the marketing and production sectors about the balance between new tools and human craftsmanship.
