McDonald's has pulled a holiday advertisement made using Artificial Intelligence following receiving significant criticism on social media.
The brief ad was produced via generative AI clips and was originally released on the YouTube channel for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Viewer Response and Decision to Pull
Soon after it aired, audiences online criticized the employment of AI in the commercial. Many called it "creepy" and "jarringly assembled".
"This moment is an important learning as we explore the appropriate application of Artificial Intelligence," said a spokesperson from the company.
The commercial was created for the brand by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US firm The Sweetshop. It showed various situations that often go badly during the festive season, with the tagline "not the most wonderful time of the year".
The Phenomenon of AI in Advertising
Commercials that feature AI tools have become a rising trend among prominent companies, notably for the holiday period.
- Coca-Cola has similarly launched back-to-back AI-created holiday commercials.
- Technical Challenges: As videos created with current AI video tools are susceptible to distort the longer they run, most such clips tend to be only a few seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The video also sparked concerns about automation in the creative sector, with some critics pointing out it might reduce work for actors.
Response from the Production Company
Following the commercial being pulled, The Sweetshop's CEO, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the advert.
She stated, the production process required "seven weeks" and involved producing "countless iterations" which were then edited afterward "just as we would on any standard production".
"This was not an AI gimmick," she commented. "We consider it a proper commercial."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the McDonald's ad was mostly criticized, the response for other AI-generated campaigns has been varied.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created Christmas spot from another major brand according to analysis garnered a significant "favorable response" from the public.
However, other businesses have also encountered backlash for employing the technique in their campaigns. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that some described as "lazy" and "uncanny".
The incident highlights the ongoing discussion within the marketing and production industries about the trade-off between technological innovation and creative integrity.
