McDonald's has pulled a Christmas commercial made using Artificial Intelligence following receiving considerable online backlash.
The 45-second ad was created with the help of generative AI clips and was first released publicly for McDonald's Netherlands back on 6 December.
Viewer Response and Decision to Pull
Following its publication, audiences online denounced the employment of AI in the advert. Many described it as "uncanny" and "poorly edited".
"This experience serves as an valuable learning as we investigate the proper use of Artificial Intelligence," stated a statement from the company.
The commercial was developed for McDonald's by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US firm The Sweetshop. It portrayed various situations that often go badly over the holidays, using the tagline "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Trend of AI in Advertising
Commercials that include generative AI have emerged as a rising trend among large corporations, particularly for the holiday campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has recently released back-to-back AI-generated holiday ads.
- Inherent Limitations: Since videos created with generative AI are more likely to become unstable the more extended they are, the majority of AI video outputs tend to be only a few seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also sparked concerns about automation in the creative sector, with some observers noting it might negatively impact opportunities for production staff.
Defense from the Production Company
After the commercial being pulled, The Sweetshop's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the advert.
She stated, the production process took "seven weeks" and involved generating "countless iterations" which were then shaped during the edit "in the same way we would on any high-craft production".
"This wasn't an AI gimmick," Bridge asserted. "The result was a finished piece."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the McDonald's commercial was predominantly panned, the sentiment for other AI-assisted holiday ads has been varied.
For instance, a recent AI-generated Christmas spot from Coca-Cola according to analysis achieved a significant "positive feedback" from viewers.
However, other businesses have likewise faced criticism for using AI in marketing. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that critics described as "lazy" and "uncanny".
The situation illustrates the ongoing debate within the advertising and creative industries about the balance between technological innovation and human craftsmanship.
