McDonald's has taken down a Christmas commercial produced using Artificial Intelligence following receiving considerable online backlash.
The short ad was created with the help of AI video tools and was first uploaded publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Viewer Reaction and Decision to Pull
Soon after it aired, audiences online lambasted the employment of AI in the film. Several described it as "creepy" and "poorly edited".
"This moment serves as an key learning as we explore the proper application of Artificial Intelligence," said a representative from the company.
The advert was created for the brand by Dutch company TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It depicted various things that can go wrong during the Christmas break, using the slogan "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Trend of AI in Advertising
Adverts that feature AI tools have become a rising trend among prominent corporations, especially for the holiday season.
- Coca-Cola has also released consecutive AI-created Christmas ads.
- Technical Challenges: As segments made using current AI video tools are susceptible to degrade the more extended they are, most AI video outputs tend to be only short in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also raised fears about job displacement in the advertising sector, with some observers pointing out it might reduce work for actors.
Response from the Creators
After the video's removal, The Sweetshop's CEO, Melanie Bridge, stood by the advert.
She stated, the production process required "seven weeks" and involved producing "thousands of takes" which were then shaped afterward "in the same way we would on any high-craft production".
"This wasn't an AI trick," she said. "It was a film."
Mixed Public Reception
While the McDonald's commercial was largely panned, the reception for other AI-generated holiday ads has been more mixed.
For instance, a consecutive AI-created Christmas spot from another major brand reportedly received a significant "positive sentiment rating" from viewers.
However, several companies have also received criticism for using AI in marketing. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was criticized for ads that critics described as "cheap" and "uncanny".
The episode highlights the ongoing discussion within the advertising and production industries about the balance between technological innovation and audience reception.
