McDonald's has taken down a Christmas commercial made using AI following encountering widespread criticism on social media.
The 45-second spot was produced with the help of generative AI clips and was first released publicly for McDonald's Netherlands on 6 December.
Social Media Reaction and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, commenters criticized the employment of AI in the commercial. A number of labeled it "disturbing" and "poorly edited".
"This experience serves as an important learning as we investigate the proper utilization of Artificial Intelligence," commented a spokesperson from the company.
The advert was created for McDonald's by Dutch company TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed various situations that might go awry during the Christmas break, with the slogan "the worst time of the year".
The Trend of AI Commercials
Commercials that incorporate generative AI have become a rising phenomenon among major brands, especially for the holiday season.
- Coca-Cola has similarly launched consecutive AI-generated Christmas ads.
- Technical Challenges: Since clips produced using generative AI are susceptible to distort the longer they run, most AI video outputs tend to be roughly short in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also sparked worries about job displacement in the creative sector, with some critics noting it might negatively impact work for camera crews.
Response from the Production Company
After the video's removal, a producer's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the advert.
According to her, the creation took "over a month and a half" and involved generating "countless iterations" which were then crafted in post-production "in the same way we would on any traditional production".
"This wasn't an experiment," she said. "It was a finished piece."
Mixed Public Reception
While the McDonald's ad was mostly panned, the response for other AI-generated holiday ads has been varied.
For instance, a recent AI-generated Christmas spot from Coca-Cola according to analysis garnered a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from online commenters.
However, other businesses have also faced criticism for employing AI in advertising. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that some described as "cheap" and "uncanny".
The incident illustrates the continuing debate within the advertising and production sectors about the balance between new tools and creative integrity.
