The Fast-Food Giant Takes Down Artificial Intelligence Festive Advertisement In the Wake of Public Outcry.

McDonald's has pulled a holiday commercial created using AI after facing considerable public disapproval.

The short ad was created via generative AI clips and was first released online for McDonald's Netherlands back on 6 December.

Social Media Reaction and Decision to Pull

Soon after it aired, commenters denounced the implementation of AI in the advert. Many called it "uncanny" and "poorly edited".

"This experience is an key lesson as we investigate the effective use of generative technology," commented a spokesperson from the company.

The commercial was developed for McDonald's by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It showed various situations that often go badly over the festive season, under the slogan "the most terrible time of the year".

The Movement of AI-Generated Ads

Commercials that incorporate generative AI have become a rising trend among large corporations, especially for the holiday season.

• Another beverage giant has also released consecutive AI-generated holiday commercials.
• Technical Challenges: Since videos produced using generative AI are susceptible to degrade the longer they run, the majority of such clips tend to be only a few seconds in length.
• Industry Concerns: The video also provoked fears about the replacement of human roles in the creative sector, with some commenters noting it could affect work for production staff.

Response from the Production Company

Following the ad being taken down, a producer's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the project.

According to her, the production process took "over a month and a half" and involved producing "countless iterations" which were then edited during the edit "just as we would on any traditional production".

"This was not an AI trick," she commented. "The result was a film."

Mixed Public Reception

While the McDonald's commercial was predominantly panned, the reception for other AI-assisted campaigns has been varied.

For instance, a consecutive AI-generated holiday spot from another major brand according to analysis garnered a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from online commenters.

However, other businesses have likewise received criticism for using the technique in their campaigns. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that critics described as "cheap" and "disturbing".

The incident underscores the ongoing discussion within the advertising and creative sectors about the trade-off between AI efficiency and creative integrity.