McDonald's has pulled a Christmas commercial produced using AI following receiving widespread criticism on social media.
The 45-second ad was developed using AI video tools and was first published on the YouTube channel for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Audience Criticism and Decision to Pull
Shortly after its release, viewers on social media criticized the implementation of AI in the advert. Many called it "disturbing" and "poorly edited".
"This moment serves as an important lesson as we investigate the effective use of AI," said 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 scenarios that often go badly over the festive season, using the theme "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI-Generated Ads
Commercials that feature generative AI have become a rising trend among large corporations, particularly for the Christmas campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has recently released consecutive AI-created Christmas ads.
- Inherent Limitations: Since videos created with generative AI are more likely to degrade the longer they run, most AI video outputs tend to be about short in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also sparked fears about job displacement in the advertising sector, with some critics pointing out it could affect work for actors.
Response from the Creators
After the video's removal, a producer's head, Melanie Bridge, defended the project.
Bridge claimed, the production process took "seven weeks" and involved producing "thousands of takes" which were then shaped during the edit "just as we would on any standard production".
"This was not an experiment," Bridge asserted. "The result was a finished piece."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was mostly panned, the reception for some AI-generated campaigns has been more mixed.
For instance, a recent AI-created Christmas spot from another major brand according to analysis received a significant "positive sentiment rating" from viewers.
However, other businesses have likewise faced criticism for employing the technique in their campaigns. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that critics called "lazy" and "uncanny".
The incident underscores the evolving discussion within the marketing and production sectors about the balance between AI efficiency and creative integrity.
