The global fast-food chain has removed a Christmas advert produced using Artificial Intelligence following encountering significant public disapproval.
The brief film was produced via AI video tools and was originally published publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Social Media Criticism and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, commenters criticized the implementation of AI in the advert. Many described it as "uncanny" and "awkwardly stitched together".
"This experience represents an important learning as we investigate the effective use of generative technology," commented a statement from the company.
The commercial was created for the brand by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It depicted various things that might go awry over the holidays, using the theme "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI in Advertising
Campaigns that include AI tools have become a growing trend among major corporations, especially for the holiday period.
- Coca-Cola has similarly launched back-to-back AI-generated holiday ads.
- Technical Challenges: Because videos produced with current AI video tools are susceptible to degrade the longer they run, the majority of AI video outputs tend to be roughly a few seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The ad also provoked worries about job displacement in the advertising industry, with some critics stating it could affect opportunities for actors.
Response from the Creators
Following the commercial being pulled, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, defended the advert.
According to her, the creation took "seven weeks" and involved creating "thousands of takes" which were then crafted during the edit "just as we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't an experiment," Bridge asserted. "It was a film."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the McDonald's commercial was mostly panned, the response for other AI-generated campaigns has been divisive.
For instance, a consecutive AI-generated Christmas ad from another major brand reportedly garnered a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from viewers.
However, several companies have likewise faced criticism for employing AI in marketing. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that some described as "lazy" and "uncanny".
The incident illustrates the continuing debate within the advertising and production sectors about the trade-off between new tools and audience reception.
