The global fast-food chain has taken down a Christmas advert created via Artificial Intelligence after receiving widespread criticism on social media.
The short ad was produced with the help of AI-generated video and was first uploaded on the YouTube channel for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Audience Response and Decision to Pull
Shortly after its release, viewers on social media denounced the use of AI in the film. A number of labeled it "disturbing" and "jarringly assembled".
"This moment is an valuable learning as we explore the effective utilization of generative technology," stated a statement from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was created for the brand by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It showed a series of things that often go badly over the Christmas break, under the slogan "not the most wonderful time of the year".
The Phenomenon of AI in Advertising
Commercials that incorporate AI tools have emerged as a growing phenomenon among prominent brands, particularly for the holiday period.
- Coca-Cola has recently launched back-to-back AI-generated holiday commercials.
- Technical Challenges: As clips produced with generative AI are more likely to distort the more extended they are, the majority of AI video outputs tend to be roughly short in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also provoked fears about automation in the production industry, with some observers noting it might reduce work for production staff.
Response from the Production Company
Following the video's removal, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the advert.
She stated, the production process took "seven weeks" and involved producing "thousands of takes" which were then crafted during the edit "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't an AI trick," she commented. "We consider it a finished piece."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the McDonald's commercial was largely criticized, the reception for some AI-generated holiday ads has been more mixed.
For instance, a consecutive AI-generated holiday spot from Coca-Cola reportedly garnered a 61% "positive feedback" from the public.
However, various brands have likewise encountered backlash for employing AI in their campaigns. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that some described as "lazy" and "disturbing".
The episode underscores the continuing debate within the advertising and production sectors about the trade-off between technological innovation and audience reception.
