The global fast-food chain has pulled a Christmas advertisement produced using AI after facing significant public disapproval.
The short spot was developed with the help of AI video tools and was first released on the YouTube channel for McDonald's Netherlands back on 6 December.
Audience Criticism and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, viewers on social media criticized the employment of AI in the film. Several described it as "disturbing" and "poorly edited".
"This incident represents an key learning as we examine the effective use of Artificial Intelligence," stated a statement from McDonald's Netherlands.
The commercial was produced for the brand by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It showed a series of situations that can go wrong during the Christmas break, using the slogan "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI in Advertising
Campaigns that feature generative AI have emerged as a rising trend among major brands, particularly for the Christmas period.
- Another beverage giant has recently launched back-to-back AI-created Christmas ads.
- Inherent Limitations: Since videos made using current AI video tools are more likely to become unstable the more extended they are, most such clips tend to be roughly a few seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also raised fears about automation in the advertising industry, with some observers noting it could affect opportunities for production staff.
Response from the Creators
Following the commercial being pulled, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, defended the project.
She stated, the development took "seven weeks" and involved generating "countless iterations" which were then edited in post-production "in the same way we would on any high-craft production".
"This was not an experiment," Bridge asserted. "It was a finished piece."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was mostly panned, the sentiment for other AI-assisted holiday ads has been divisive.
For instance, a recent AI-generated holiday spot from another major brand according to analysis achieved a 61% "favorable response" from the public.
However, several companies have also received criticism for using the technique in their campaigns. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that critics described as "low-effort" and "uncanny".
The situation illustrates the continuing discussion within the marketing and creative industries about the balance between AI efficiency and audience reception.
