McDonald's has pulled a holiday advert made with Artificial Intelligence following encountering considerable public disapproval.
The brief spot was created via AI video tools and was originally published publicly for McDonald's Netherlands back on 6 December.
Viewer Reaction and Decision to Pull
Shortly after its release, commenters lambasted the use of AI in the commercial. Several called it "disturbing" and "jarringly assembled".
"This moment serves as an key learning as we investigate the effective utilization of AI," commented a statement from the company.
The commercial was developed for McDonald's by Netherlands-based company TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It depicted various situations that often go badly over the holidays, using the tagline "the worst time of the year".
A Growing Phenomenon of AI Commercials
Commercials that feature AI-created content have emerged as a growing phenomenon among large brands, notably for the holiday campaign season.
- Another beverage giant has similarly released consecutive AI-created Christmas commercials.
- Inherent Limitations: Since clips made with generative AI are prone to degrade the longer they run, most such clips tend to be about short in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also raised fears about automation in the advertising sector, with some observers stating it could reduce opportunities for actors.
Defense from the Creators
After the ad being taken down, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the project.
Bridge claimed, the production process took "over a month and a half" and involved producing "thousands of takes" which were then edited in post-production "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't an AI trick," she commented. "It was a proper commercial."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was largely panned, the reception for some AI-generated campaigns has been more mixed.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created holiday ad from another major brand according to analysis garnered a significant "positive sentiment rating" from the public.
However, several companies have also encountered criticism for using the technique in their campaigns. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that some described as "cheap" and "disturbing".
The incident underscores the ongoing discussion within the advertising and creative industries about the trade-off between AI efficiency and audience reception.
