McDonald's has taken down a holiday advert produced using AI following facing considerable online backlash.
The brief film was produced using generative AI clips and was originally published publicly for McDonald's Netherlands back on 6 December.
Audience Response and Decision to Pull
Shortly after its release, commenters denounced the employment of AI in the commercial. Several called it "disturbing" and "poorly edited".
"This incident represents an valuable lesson as we explore the proper application of AI," stated a representative from the company.
The advert was created for McDonald's by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It depicted a series of scenarios that can go wrong during the holidays, under the tagline "the most terrible time of the year".
The Phenomenon of AI in Advertising
Campaigns that include AI tools have emerged as a rising phenomenon among prominent brands, particularly for the holiday season.
- Coca-Cola has recently released consecutive AI-generated holiday commercials.
- Technical Challenges: Since segments produced with generative AI are more likely to degrade the more extended they are, most such clips tend to be about a few seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also provoked concerns about job displacement in the creative industry, with some commenters stating it could negatively impact work for production staff.
Response from the Production Company
After the video's removal, The Sweetshop's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the advert.
According to her, the production process required "seven weeks" and involved creating "thousands of takes" which were then crafted afterward "just as we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't just an AI trick," Bridge asserted. "The result was a finished piece."
Mixed Audience Sentiment
While the McDonald's commercial was mostly criticized, the reception for other AI-assisted holiday ads has been more mixed.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created holiday ad from Coca-Cola according to analysis achieved a significant "positive sentiment rating" from the public.
However, various brands have likewise received scrutiny for using the technique in marketing. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that critics called "cheap" and "uncanny".
The episode highlights the evolving debate within the marketing and production industries about the trade-off between technological innovation and human craftsmanship.
