The Fast-Food Giant Removes Artificial Intelligence Christmas Ad After Online Criticism.
The global fast-food chain has removed a Christmas advert produced with Artificial Intelligence after facing significant criticism on social media.
The short ad was developed using AI-generated video and was originally published publicly for McDonald's Netherlands on 6 December.
Audience Response and Removal
Soon after it aired, audiences online criticized the employment of AI in the film. Many called it "uncanny" and "poorly edited".
"This moment serves as an valuable lesson as we investigate the effective utilization of AI," said a statement from the company.
The advert was created for McDonald's by Netherlands-based company TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed various things that can go wrong during the Christmas break, using the theme "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI Commercials
Campaigns that feature generative AI have emerged as a rising phenomenon among prominent companies, notably for the holiday period.
- Coca-Cola has similarly released consecutive AI-created holiday commercials.
- Technical Challenges: Because videos created with generative AI are prone to distort the longer they run, most such clips tend to be about short in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also sparked fears about the replacement of human roles in the creative industry, with some critics stating it might reduce work for camera crews.
Response from the Production Company
Following the commercial being pulled, a producer's head, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the project.
She stated, the development required "seven weeks" and involved generating "thousands of takes" which were then crafted during the edit "just as we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't just an AI gimmick," Bridge asserted. "We consider it a finished piece."
Mixed Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was mostly criticized, the sentiment for some AI-assisted campaigns has been varied.
For instance, a consecutive AI-generated holiday spot from Coca-Cola according to analysis received a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from viewers.
However, other businesses have likewise received criticism for employing AI in advertising. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that some called "low-effort" and "disturbing".
The episode illustrates the ongoing debate within the advertising and production industries about the trade-off between AI efficiency and creative integrity.
