The global fast-food chain has pulled a holiday advertisement produced with generative AI following encountering significant criticism on social media.
The short ad was developed with the help of generative AI clips and was first released publicly for McDonald's Netherlands on 6 December.
Audience Reaction and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, audiences online lambasted the use of AI in the film. A number of labeled it "creepy" and "awkwardly stitched together".
"This experience serves as an important learning as we explore the appropriate utilization of generative technology," stated a representative from the company.
The advert was developed for the brand by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It showed various things that can go wrong over the festive season, under the slogan "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Trend of AI Commercials
Commercials that include generative AI have emerged as a growing phenomenon among large corporations, especially for the Christmas season.
- Coca-Cola has also released back-to-back AI-generated Christmas commercials.
- Inherent Limitations: As clips produced with current AI video tools are susceptible to degrade the longer they run, most AI video outputs tend to be only short in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also provoked concerns about the replacement of human roles in the production sector, with some observers noting it could affect work for camera crews.
Defense from the Production Company
After the ad being taken down, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, stood by the advert.
According to her, the creation required "seven weeks" and involved producing "countless iterations" which were then shaped during the edit "in the same way we would on any high-craft production".
"This was not an AI trick," she commented. "It was a finished piece."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was predominantly panned, the reception for other AI-assisted campaigns has been more mixed.
For instance, a recent AI-generated holiday spot from another major brand according to analysis received a 61% "favorable response" from viewers.
However, various brands have likewise faced backlash for employing the technique in their campaigns. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that critics called "cheap" and "disturbing".
The episode highlights the ongoing debate within the marketing and creative sectors about the trade-off between AI efficiency and audience reception.
