McDonald's has removed a Christmas commercial created via Artificial Intelligence following facing considerable public disapproval.
The brief ad was developed using AI-generated video and was initially uploaded online for McDonald's Netherlands on 6 December.
Social Media Response and Removal
Shortly after its release, commenters denounced the implementation of AI in the film. Many called it "creepy" and "awkwardly stitched together".
"This experience represents an important lesson as we explore the effective application of AI," commented a representative from the company.
The commercial was produced for McDonald's by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed a series of situations that can go wrong over the festive season, using the tagline "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI Commercials
Campaigns that feature generative AI have emerged as a growing trend among major corporations, especially for the Christmas season.
- Coca-Cola has recently launched back-to-back AI-created Christmas commercials.
- Technical Challenges: Since videos made with generative AI are prone to distort the longer they run, most such clips tend to be roughly six to 10 seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also provoked concerns about job displacement in the creative sector, with some observers pointing out it might negatively impact opportunities for actors.
Defense from the Creators
After the ad being taken down, The Sweetshop's CEO, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the project.
She stated, the development required "seven weeks" and involved producing "thousands of takes" which were then crafted during the edit "in the same way we would on any traditional production".
"This wasn't just an AI trick," she said. "The result was a proper commercial."
Mixed Public Reception
While the McDonald's commercial was mostly panned, the sentiment for some AI-generated holiday ads has been divisive.
For instance, a recent AI-created holiday ad from another major brand reportedly received a significant "positive sentiment rating" from the public.
However, other businesses have also received criticism for employing AI in marketing. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that some called "lazy" and "disturbing".
The situation highlights the ongoing debate within the marketing and production industries about the trade-off between new tools and audience reception.
