The global fast-food chain has taken down a holiday advert made with generative AI after encountering widespread criticism on social media.
The 45-second spot was created with the help of AI-generated video and was initially released on the YouTube channel for McDonald's Netherlands on 6 December.
Audience Reaction and Removal
Following its publication, audiences online criticized the employment of AI in the film. Several described it as "uncanny" and "awkwardly stitched together".
"This experience is an important learning as we examine the appropriate use of AI," commented a statement from McDonald's Netherlands.
The commercial was produced for McDonald's by Dutch company TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It depicted various things that can go wrong over the festive season, under the theme "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI Commercials
Campaigns that incorporate AI-created content have emerged as a rising trend among large companies, especially for the holiday season.
- Coca-Cola has similarly launched back-to-back AI-generated holiday ads.
- Inherent Limitations: As segments made using current AI video tools are prone to degrade the longer they run, most AI video outputs tend to be about a few seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also sparked concerns about job displacement in the creative industry, with some critics pointing out it might negatively impact opportunities for production staff.
Response from the Creators
Following the video's removal, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, defended the project.
Bridge claimed, the creation took "seven weeks" and involved generating "numerous versions" which were then edited afterward "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't an AI trick," she said. "It was a film."
Mixed Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was mostly 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 received a significant "positive feedback" from online commenters.
However, several companies have likewise faced scrutiny for employing the technique in their campaigns. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that some called "cheap" and "disturbing".
The incident underscores the ongoing debate within the advertising and creative sectors about the trade-off between AI efficiency and human craftsmanship.
