McDonald's has pulled a Christmas commercial produced via generative AI following facing significant criticism on social media.
The brief film was created with the help of AI-generated video and was first published publicly for McDonald's Netherlands back on 6 December.
Viewer Reaction and Removal
Following its publication, commenters denounced the use of AI in the film. Several labeled it "disturbing" and "poorly edited".
"This experience represents an key learning as we explore the proper use of Artificial Intelligence," stated a statement from McDonald's Netherlands.
The commercial was developed for the brand by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US firm The Sweetshop. It portrayed a series of situations that can go wrong during the festive season, under the tagline "the worst time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI-Generated Ads
Campaigns that incorporate AI-created content have emerged as a rising trend among large companies, notably for the Christmas campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has also launched back-to-back AI-generated holiday ads.
- Technical Challenges: As clips produced with generative AI are susceptible to degrade the more extended they are, the majority of such clips tend to be roughly short in length.
- Broader Implications: The video also provoked fears about the replacement of human roles in the creative sector, with some observers noting it could reduce work for production staff.
Defense from the Creators
Following the commercial being pulled, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, defended the project.
According to her, the development took "seven weeks" and involved generating "countless iterations" which were then edited in post-production "just as we would on any traditional production".
"This wasn't an AI trick," she said. "We consider it a proper commercial."
Mixed Public Reception
While the McDonald's ad was mostly panned, the reception for some AI-assisted holiday ads has been more mixed.
For instance, a recent AI-generated Christmas spot from another major brand reportedly garnered a 61% "favorable response" from online commenters.
However, various brands have also received scrutiny for employing the technique in marketing. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that critics called "lazy" and "uncanny".
The situation highlights the continuing conversation within the marketing and production sectors about the trade-off between technological innovation and creative integrity.
