McDonald's has removed a holiday commercial created with AI following encountering significant criticism on social media.
The brief ad was developed via AI video tools and was originally uploaded online for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Audience Reaction and Decision to Pull
Shortly after its release, audiences online lambasted the use of AI in the commercial. Many described it as "disturbing" and "jarringly assembled".
"This experience serves as an important learning as we investigate the proper utilization of Artificial Intelligence," commented a statement from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was created for McDonald's by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It portrayed various things that might go awry over the festive season, using the slogan "the most terrible time of the year".
The Movement of AI in Advertising
Adverts that feature AI tools have become a rising trend among large companies, particularly for the holiday campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has recently released consecutive AI-generated holiday commercials.
- Inherent Limitations: As segments made using current AI video tools are prone to distort the more extended they are, most AI video outputs tend to be roughly six to 10 seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The ad also provoked fears about the replacement of human roles in the creative sector, with some observers stating it might affect opportunities for camera crews.
Defense from the Creators
After the ad being taken down, a producer's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, defended the project.
According to her, the production process took "seven weeks" and involved producing "countless iterations" which were then shaped afterward "in the same way we would on any traditional production".
"This was not an AI trick," she said. "The result was a film."
Mixed Audience Sentiment
While the McDonald's ad was predominantly criticized, the reception for some AI-assisted campaigns has been varied.
For instance, a recent AI-created holiday spot from Coca-Cola reportedly achieved a 61% "favorable response" from online commenters.
However, several companies have also faced criticism for employing the technique in advertising. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that critics called "low-effort" and "disturbing".
The situation illustrates the ongoing debate within the advertising and creative industries about the balance between new tools and audience reception.
