McDonald's has pulled a holiday advertisement made using generative AI following receiving significant public disapproval.
The brief film was developed via AI video tools and was first published on the YouTube channel for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Audience Criticism and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, audiences online lambasted the employment of AI in the film. Several called it "creepy" and "poorly edited".
"This moment is an important learning as we investigate the appropriate application of generative technology," commented a statement from McDonald's Netherlands.
The commercial was developed for the brand by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It showed a series of situations that can go wrong over the holidays, using the theme "the worst time of the year".
A Growing Trend of AI Commercials
Campaigns that incorporate generative AI have emerged as a rising trend among prominent corporations, particularly for the holiday period.
- Another beverage giant has recently launched consecutive AI-generated holiday ads.
- Technical Challenges: Since videos created with current AI video tools are susceptible to degrade the more extended they are, most AI video outputs tend to be roughly short in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also sparked worries about job displacement in the advertising sector, with some observers noting it could affect work for production staff.
Defense from the Production Company
After the commercial being pulled, a producer's head, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the advert.
According to her, the development took "seven weeks" and involved generating "thousands of takes" which were then crafted during the edit "just as we would on any traditional production".
"This wasn't an AI trick," she said. "We consider it a proper commercial."
Divisive Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was predominantly criticized, the sentiment for other AI-assisted holiday ads has been divisive.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created holiday ad from another major brand reportedly achieved a 61% "favorable response" from the public.
However, other businesses have also faced scrutiny for using the technique in their campaigns. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that some described as "cheap" and "disturbing".
The incident underscores the continuing discussion within the advertising and production sectors about the trade-off between AI efficiency and creative integrity.
