The global fast-food chain has removed a holiday advert created using Artificial Intelligence after facing significant public disapproval.
The 45-second ad was produced using AI video tools and was first released online for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Audience Criticism and Decision to Pull
Soon after it aired, commenters lambasted the employment of AI in the film. A number of described it as "disturbing" and "jarringly assembled".
"This moment serves as an key learning as we explore the proper application of Artificial Intelligence," said a spokesperson from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was created for the brand by Netherlands-based company TBWA\Neboko and US firm The Sweetshop. It showed various scenarios that might go awry over the festive season, under the tagline "the worst time of the year".
The Trend of AI-Generated Ads
Commercials that include generative AI have become a growing phenomenon among major companies, especially for the holiday season.
- Coca-Cola has similarly launched consecutive AI-created Christmas ads.
- Technical Challenges: As clips produced with current AI video tools are susceptible to degrade the longer they run, the majority of AI video outputs tend to be only six to 10 seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The ad also raised concerns about the replacement of human roles in the production sector, with some commenters noting it might reduce work for camera crews.
Response from the Production Company
Following the video's removal, a producer's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, stood by the advert.
Bridge claimed, the creation required "seven weeks" and involved generating "countless iterations" which were then crafted during the edit "in the same way we would on any traditional production".
"This was not an AI gimmick," Bridge asserted. "The result was a proper commercial."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was predominantly criticized, the response for some AI-generated campaigns has been divisive.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created Christmas ad from Coca-Cola according to analysis achieved a significant "positive sentiment rating" from online commenters.
However, several companies have also received criticism for using AI in advertising. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that some described as "low-effort" and "disturbing".
The incident highlights the continuing debate within the advertising and production industries about the trade-off between new tools and human craftsmanship.
