McDonald's has pulled a Christmas commercial made via generative AI after facing considerable public disapproval.
The short ad was produced via generative AI clips and was originally uploaded publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Audience Criticism and Decision to Pull
Shortly after its release, commenters criticized the implementation of AI in the film. Several described it as "uncanny" and "poorly edited".
"This incident is an important lesson as we explore the appropriate use of Artificial Intelligence," stated a representative from the company.
The commercial was produced for McDonald's by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It showed various situations that can go wrong over the festive season, under the slogan "the worst time of the year".
The Movement of AI in Advertising
Commercials that feature AI-created content have emerged as a growing phenomenon among prominent brands, especially for the Christmas campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has also launched consecutive AI-generated holiday commercials.
- Technical Challenges: Since segments produced with generative AI are susceptible to degrade the longer they run, the majority of such clips tend to be about six to 10 seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The video also raised worries about the replacement of human roles in the production industry, with some commenters stating it could affect work for production staff.
Defense from the Creators
After the commercial being pulled, The Sweetshop's CEO, Melanie Bridge, stood by the project.
According to her, the production process took "seven weeks" and involved creating "countless iterations" which were then crafted afterward "just as we would on any high-craft production".
"This wasn't an AI trick," she said. "It was a film."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the McDonald's commercial was mostly criticized, the response for some AI-assisted campaigns has been more mixed.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created holiday spot from another major brand reportedly achieved a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from the public.
However, several companies have also received scrutiny for employing AI in their campaigns. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that critics described as "lazy" and "uncanny".
The situation underscores the continuing debate within the marketing and production sectors about the trade-off between technological innovation and audience reception.
