The global fast-food chain has removed a holiday commercial produced using generative AI following receiving considerable criticism on social media.
The short film was created with the help of generative AI clips and was first published publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December.
Viewer Criticism and Removal
Soon after it aired, viewers on social media criticized the employment of AI in the commercial. A number of called it "creepy" and "awkwardly stitched together".
"This moment serves as an key lesson as we examine the effective utilization of Artificial Intelligence," stated a statement from the company.
The advert was created for the brand by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed various things that often go badly over the festive season, under the tagline "the most terrible time of the year".
The Trend of AI-Generated Ads
Campaigns that include generative AI have emerged as a increasing trend among large corporations, especially for the holiday campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has similarly released back-to-back AI-created holiday commercials.
- Technical Challenges: As clips produced using current AI video tools are susceptible to degrade the longer they run, most such clips tend to be about short in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also provoked worries about the replacement of human roles in the creative industry, with some critics stating it could affect work for production staff.
Response from the Production Company
Following the video's removal, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, stood by the project.
She stated, the development required "over a month and a half" and involved producing "thousands of takes" which were then edited afterward "just as we would on any standard production".
"This was not an experiment," Bridge asserted. "The result was a proper commercial."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was largely criticized, the reception for some AI-generated holiday ads has been divisive.
For instance, a recent AI-generated holiday spot from another major brand according to analysis garnered a significant "positive sentiment rating" from online commenters.
However, various brands have also faced scrutiny for using the technique in their campaigns. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that critics called "lazy" and "uncanny".
The incident illustrates the ongoing debate within the marketing and creative industries about the trade-off between technological innovation and human craftsmanship.
