McDonald's has taken down a holiday advert made with generative AI after encountering widespread public disapproval.
The 45-second spot was developed with the help of AI video tools and was originally uploaded online for McDonald's Netherlands on 6 December.
Viewer Response and Decision to Pull
Shortly after its release, commenters lambasted the use of AI in the advert. Many described it as "disturbing" and "poorly edited".
"This experience represents an important learning as we investigate the effective application of AI," stated a representative from the company.
The commercial was created for the brand by Netherlands-based company TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It depicted various things that can go wrong over the festive season, using the tagline "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Phenomenon of AI Commercials
Campaigns that incorporate AI-created content have emerged as a increasing phenomenon among major companies, particularly for the Christmas period.
- Coca-Cola has similarly released back-to-back AI-generated Christmas ads.
- Inherent Limitations: Because clips created with generative AI are prone to degrade the longer they run, the majority of AI video outputs tend to be about six to 10 seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The video also raised concerns about the replacement of human roles in the production industry, with some critics stating it might negatively impact work for actors.
Response from the Creators
After the video's removal, a producer's head, Melanie Bridge, stood by the advert.
According to her, the development took "over a month and a half" and involved producing "thousands of takes" which were then crafted in post-production "in the same way we would on any high-craft production".
"This wasn't just an AI gimmick," she said. "We consider it a proper commercial."
Divisive Public Reception
While the McDonald's ad was predominantly criticized, the sentiment for some AI-assisted campaigns has been divisive.
For instance, a recent AI-created Christmas spot from Coca-Cola according to analysis received a significant "positive feedback" from viewers.
However, several companies have also encountered backlash for employing AI in marketing. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that critics described as "cheap" and "disturbing".
The situation underscores the evolving debate within the marketing and production industries about the trade-off between technological innovation and human craftsmanship.
