The global fast-food chain has taken down a Christmas advertisement made using generative AI after encountering significant criticism on social media.
The 45-second spot was produced via AI video tools and was initially uploaded online for McDonald's Netherlands on 6 December.
Viewer Response and Removal
Shortly after its release, audiences online lambasted the implementation of AI in the advert. Many called it "disturbing" and "poorly edited".
"This experience serves as an important lesson as we investigate the effective use of generative technology," stated a representative from the company.
The advert was created for McDonald's by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed various scenarios that can go wrong over the holidays, under the tagline "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI Commercials
Commercials that incorporate AI tools have become a increasing trend among major companies, particularly for the Christmas season.
- Coca-Cola has similarly launched consecutive AI-generated holiday commercials.
- Inherent Limitations: As videos created with current AI video tools are susceptible to degrade the longer they run, the majority of AI video outputs tend to be only six to 10 seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also sparked fears about the replacement of human roles in the creative industry, with some critics pointing out it might negatively impact opportunities for actors.
Defense from the Creators
After the video's removal, a producer's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, defended the advert.
She stated, the development took "over a month and a half" and involved producing "countless iterations" which were then edited in post-production "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This was not an experiment," she commented. "It was a proper commercial."
Mixed Audience Sentiment
While the McDonald's ad was largely panned, the reception for some AI-generated campaigns has been varied.
For instance, a recent AI-generated holiday spot from Coca-Cola reportedly achieved a 61% "favorable response" from online commenters.
However, several companies have also encountered scrutiny for using the technique in marketing. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that some called "cheap" and "uncanny".
The episode illustrates the continuing discussion within the advertising and production industries about the trade-off between new tools and audience reception.
