The global fast-food chain has taken down a holiday advert produced with generative AI following facing considerable online backlash.
The short spot was created with the help of AI video tools and was first published on the YouTube channel for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Viewer Response and Decision to Pull
Soon after it aired, commenters denounced the implementation of AI in the advert. A number of called it "uncanny" and "awkwardly stitched together".
"This incident serves as an important learning as we examine the effective utilization of AI," stated a spokesperson from the company.
The commercial was produced for McDonald's by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It portrayed various things 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 incorporate AI-created content have become a growing trend among prominent corporations, particularly for the Christmas period.
- Another beverage giant has similarly released consecutive AI-generated holiday commercials.
- Technical Challenges: As clips produced using current AI video tools are prone to become unstable the more extended they are, the majority of AI video outputs tend to be only a few seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also provoked concerns about the replacement of human roles in the production sector, with some observers stating it might reduce work for camera crews.
Defense from the Creators
After the ad being taken down, a producer's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the advert.
Bridge claimed, the production process required "seven weeks" and involved generating "thousands of takes" which were then crafted in post-production "just as we would on any standard production".
"This was not an AI gimmick," Bridge asserted. "The result was a finished piece."
Mixed Public Reception
While the McDonald's ad was largely panned, the response for some AI-assisted holiday ads has been varied.
For instance, a recent AI-generated Christmas ad from another major brand according to analysis received a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from the public.
However, various brands have also encountered criticism for using the technique in their campaigns. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that critics called "low-effort" and "uncanny".
The incident highlights the ongoing discussion within the marketing and production industries about the trade-off between technological innovation and audience reception.
