McDonald's Takes Down AI-Created Holiday Commercial In the Wake of Backlash.

McDonald's has pulled a Christmas commercial created with generative AI following facing considerable criticism on social media.

The 45-second film was produced via AI video tools and was first released on the YouTube channel for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.

Audience Response and Decision to Pull

Soon after it aired, commenters lambasted the implementation of AI in the commercial. Many called it "creepy" and "poorly edited".

"This moment serves as an key lesson as we examine the appropriate application of Artificial Intelligence," commented a statement from McDonald's Netherlands.

The commercial was developed for the brand by Netherlands-based company TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed various situations that might go awry during the Christmas break, with the theme "the most terrible time of the year".

A Growing Trend of AI in Advertising

Campaigns that incorporate AI-created content have become a growing phenomenon among large companies, notably for the holiday season.

• Another beverage giant has also released back-to-back AI-generated Christmas commercials.
• Inherent Limitations: Because clips created with current AI video tools are susceptible to distort the more extended they are, most AI video outputs tend to be roughly six to 10 seconds in length.
• Broader Implications: The ad also provoked concerns about job displacement in the production sector, with some critics pointing out it might affect opportunities for production staff.

Defense from the Production Company

Following the commercial being pulled, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, stood by the advert.

According to her, the development required "over a month and a half" and involved creating "countless iterations" which were then edited afterward "just as we would on any high-craft production".

"This wasn't an experiment," she said. "The result was a proper commercial."

Mixed Audience Sentiment

While the McDonald's commercial was mostly panned, the response for some AI-generated campaigns has been varied.

For instance, a consecutive AI-generated Christmas ad from Coca-Cola reportedly garnered a 61% "positive feedback" from viewers.

However, various brands have also faced criticism for employing the technique in marketing. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that critics called "cheap" and "disturbing".

The incident underscores the continuing debate within the marketing and creative sectors about the trade-off between AI efficiency and audience reception.