McDonald's has removed a Christmas advert produced via Artificial Intelligence after encountering considerable criticism on social media.
The 45-second spot was developed with the help of AI-generated video and was originally published publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Audience Response and Removal
Shortly after its release, commenters lambasted the employment of AI in the commercial. Several described it as "uncanny" and "poorly edited".
"This moment is an key lesson as we explore the appropriate utilization of AI," said a representative from McDonald's Netherlands.
The commercial was produced for McDonald's by Dutch company TBWA\Neboko and US firm The Sweetshop. It showed a series of things that can go wrong over the Christmas break, under the tagline "the worst time of the year".
A Growing Trend of AI-Generated Ads
Campaigns that include AI tools have become a rising trend among major companies, particularly for the Christmas period.
- Coca-Cola has similarly launched consecutive AI-created Christmas ads.
- Technical Challenges: Because segments made with generative AI are prone to become unstable the more extended they are, the majority of such clips tend to be about short in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also sparked worries about the replacement of human roles in the production sector, with some observers pointing out it might reduce work for actors.
Response from the Production Company
After the video's removal, The Sweetshop's CEO, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the advert.
She stated, the production process took "over a month and a half" and involved producing "countless iterations" which were then edited in post-production "in the same way we would on any high-craft production".
"This wasn't an AI trick," she commented. "The result was a finished piece."
Mixed Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was predominantly panned, the response for other AI-assisted holiday ads has been varied.
For instance, a recent AI-created holiday spot from Coca-Cola reportedly received a significant "positive sentiment rating" from online commenters.
However, other businesses have also encountered criticism for employing AI in advertising. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that critics described as "lazy" and "disturbing".
The situation highlights the continuing discussion within the advertising and production sectors about the balance between AI efficiency and human craftsmanship.