McDonald's Netherlands Pulls AI-Generated Christmas Ad After Public Outcry.
The global fast-food chain has taken down a Christmas advert made using Artificial Intelligence following facing significant criticism on social media.
The short film was developed with the help of generative AI clips and was initially released online for McDonald's Netherlands on 6 December.
Audience Criticism and Decision to Pull
Soon after it aired, commenters lambasted the implementation of AI in the film. A number of described it as "uncanny" and "awkwardly stitched together".
"This incident is an key learning as we examine the effective use of AI," commented a representative from McDonald's Netherlands.
The commercial was created for McDonald's by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It showed a series of scenarios that often go badly over the Christmas break, under the slogan "the worst time of the year".
The Phenomenon of AI-Generated Ads
Commercials that include AI-created content have become a growing phenomenon among major corporations, especially for the Christmas season.
- Another beverage giant has recently released back-to-back AI-created Christmas ads.
- Technical Challenges: Since clips made using generative AI are susceptible to distort the more extended they are, the majority of AI video outputs tend to be only a few seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The ad also raised worries about automation in the production industry, with some critics pointing out it could reduce work for production staff.
Response from the Creators
After the ad being taken down, The Sweetshop's CEO, Melanie Bridge, stood by the advert.
According to her, the development took "over a month and a half" and involved creating "countless iterations" which were then crafted afterward "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This was not an experiment," she commented. "We consider it a proper commercial."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the McDonald's commercial was mostly criticized, the sentiment for some AI-generated holiday ads has been divisive.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created Christmas ad from another major brand reportedly achieved a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from online commenters.
However, other businesses have also received criticism for using AI in advertising. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that some described as "cheap" and "disturbing".
The incident illustrates the evolving debate within the advertising and production industries about the balance between technological innovation and human craftsmanship.
