McDonald's has taken down a holiday commercial made with AI following receiving considerable criticism on social media.
The 45-second film was developed with the help of AI video tools and was originally published on the YouTube channel for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Audience Reaction and Removal
Shortly after its release, viewers on social media lambasted the use of AI in the film. A number of called it "uncanny" and "poorly edited".
"This moment represents an valuable learning as we investigate the proper use of AI," said a representative from McDonald's Netherlands.
The commercial was created for the brand by Dutch company TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed a series of things that often go badly over the festive season, with the tagline "the most terrible time of the year".
The Phenomenon of AI in Advertising
Commercials that incorporate AI tools have become a rising phenomenon among prominent corporations, especially for the holiday campaign season.
- Another beverage giant has recently released back-to-back AI-generated Christmas ads.
- Inherent Limitations: Because clips produced using current AI video tools are more likely to become unstable the more extended they are, most such clips tend to be roughly a few seconds in length.
- Broader Implications: The ad also sparked fears about the replacement of human roles in the production sector, with some commenters noting it might negatively impact work for camera crews.
Response from the Creators
After the ad being taken down, a producer's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, stood by the advert.
According to her, the development took "seven weeks" and involved producing "countless iterations" which were then edited during the edit "just as we would on any high-craft production".
"This was not an AI gimmick," she said. "We consider it a film."
Divisive Public Reception
While the McDonald's commercial was predominantly panned, the response for some AI-generated campaigns has been divisive.
For instance, a consecutive AI-generated Christmas ad from Coca-Cola reportedly received a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from online commenters.
However, various brands have also received scrutiny for employing AI in marketing. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was criticized for ads that critics called "cheap" and "disturbing".
The episode illustrates the continuing debate within the marketing and creative sectors about the trade-off between AI efficiency and human craftsmanship.
