McDonald's has taken down a holiday advert made via generative AI after facing considerable criticism on social media.
The brief ad was produced with the help of AI video tools and was initially published online for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Viewer Criticism and Decision to Pull
Soon after it aired, audiences online denounced the use of AI in the film. Several called it "uncanny" and "jarringly assembled".
"This incident represents an key learning as we investigate the proper utilization of Artificial Intelligence," stated a statement from McDonald's Netherlands.
The commercial was produced for McDonald's by Dutch company TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It showed various things that can go wrong during the holidays, with the slogan "not the most wonderful time of the year".
The Movement of AI in Advertising
Commercials that incorporate AI tools have emerged as a growing phenomenon among prominent companies, particularly for the holiday campaign season.
- Another beverage giant has similarly launched back-to-back AI-generated Christmas commercials.
- Technical Challenges: Because videos produced using current AI video tools are susceptible to distort the longer they run, the majority of AI video outputs tend to be roughly a few seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The ad also raised concerns about job displacement in the creative sector, with some critics stating it might reduce work for camera crews.
Response from the Creators
Following the commercial being pulled, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, defended the project.
According to her, the development required "over a month and a half" and involved creating "thousands of takes" which were then edited afterward "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't just an AI trick," she commented. "The result was a film."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was mostly criticized, the response for other AI-assisted campaigns has been varied.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created holiday spot from Coca-Cola according to analysis garnered a significant "positive sentiment rating" from viewers.
However, several companies have also received scrutiny for employing AI in their campaigns. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was criticized for ads that critics called "cheap" and "uncanny".
The episode underscores the ongoing discussion within the advertising and creative industries about the balance between technological innovation and creative integrity.
