McDonald's has taken down a Christmas advert produced with AI following facing widespread public disapproval.
The brief film was produced using AI video tools and was first published publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Viewer Reaction and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, viewers on social media lambasted the implementation of AI in the film. Many labeled it "creepy" and "poorly edited".
"This experience represents an valuable lesson as we examine the appropriate utilization of Artificial Intelligence," commented a representative from the company.
The advert was produced for McDonald's by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It showed a series of things that might go awry over the festive season, using the theme "the most terrible time of the year".
The Phenomenon of AI Commercials
Commercials that incorporate generative AI have emerged as a rising phenomenon among prominent corporations, notably for the Christmas campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has similarly launched back-to-back AI-generated holiday commercials.
- Technical Challenges: Because videos made with current AI video tools are prone to distort the longer they run, the majority of such clips tend to be only a few seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The ad also raised worries about automation in the creative industry, with some observers stating it could negatively impact work for production staff.
Defense from the Production Company
Following the commercial being pulled, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, defended the project.
According to her, the development required "seven weeks" and involved generating "countless iterations" which were then crafted during the edit "in the same way we would on any traditional production".
"This wasn't an AI gimmick," she commented. "We consider it a proper commercial."
Mixed Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was mostly panned, the sentiment for other AI-generated holiday ads has been varied.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created Christmas spot from another major brand according to analysis received a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from online commenters.
However, various brands have also faced scrutiny for using AI in advertising. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that some called "cheap" and "uncanny".
The situation illustrates the evolving discussion within the marketing and creative sectors about the trade-off between technological innovation and human craftsmanship.
