McDonald's has taken down a Christmas advertisement produced with Artificial Intelligence after receiving considerable criticism on social media.
The brief film was produced with the help of AI-generated video and was initially released publicly for McDonald's Netherlands back on 6 December.
Viewer Criticism and Decision to Pull
Shortly after its release, audiences online lambasted the use of AI in the film. A number of labeled it "disturbing" and "poorly edited".
"This incident is an important learning as we examine the proper use of Artificial Intelligence," commented a spokesperson from the company.
The commercial was developed for McDonald's by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It showed a series of situations that often go badly over the holidays, under the tagline "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Movement of AI Commercials
Campaigns that feature generative AI have emerged as a growing phenomenon among large corporations, particularly for the holiday period.
- Another beverage giant has similarly released consecutive AI-generated Christmas commercials.
- Technical Challenges: Since videos produced using generative AI are more likely to become unstable the longer they run, most AI video outputs tend to be roughly a few seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also sparked worries about the replacement of human roles in the creative industry, with some commenters noting it could affect work for camera crews.
Defense from the Creators
After the ad being taken down, a producer's head, Melanie Bridge, stood by the advert.
She stated, the creation required "over a month and a half" and involved producing "numerous versions" which were then edited afterward "in the same way we would on any traditional production".
"This was not an experiment," she said. "The result was a proper commercial."
Mixed Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was mostly panned, the sentiment for other AI-generated campaigns has been more mixed.
For instance, a recent AI-generated holiday ad from Coca-Cola according to analysis received a significant "positive feedback" from the public.
However, other businesses have also encountered backlash for employing AI in their campaigns. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that critics called "lazy" and "disturbing".
The episode highlights the continuing conversation within the marketing and creative sectors about the balance between technological innovation and creative integrity.
