McDonald's has pulled a Christmas commercial made using AI after facing significant criticism on social media.
The brief film was created via generative AI clips and was first published on the YouTube channel for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Audience Criticism and Decision to Pull
Shortly after its release, viewers on social media denounced the use of AI in the advert. Many called it "uncanny" and "jarringly assembled".
"This experience represents an key lesson as we examine the appropriate use of AI," commented a spokesperson from the company.
The advert was created for McDonald's by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It showed a series of situations that can go wrong over the Christmas break, using the tagline "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Phenomenon of AI in Advertising
Campaigns that feature AI tools have become a rising trend among major brands, especially for the holiday period.
- Another beverage giant has similarly launched consecutive AI-generated holiday commercials.
- Inherent Limitations: As videos produced with current AI video tools are prone to degrade the longer they run, the majority of such clips tend to be about a few seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The ad also sparked worries about automation in the advertising industry, with some critics stating it might affect opportunities for production staff.
Defense from the Production Company
After the commercial being pulled, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, stood by the project.
Bridge claimed, the development took "over a month and a half" and involved generating "countless iterations" which were then edited in post-production "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't an experiment," she said. "We consider it a finished piece."
Divisive Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was mostly panned, the reception for other AI-assisted campaigns has been divisive.
For instance, a recent AI-generated holiday spot from another major brand according to analysis garnered a significant "favorable response" from viewers.
However, other businesses have likewise faced criticism for employing AI in marketing. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that critics called "lazy" and "disturbing".
The incident underscores the ongoing conversation within the marketing and creative sectors about the trade-off between technological innovation and creative integrity.
