The global fast-food chain has removed a holiday advertisement made using Artificial Intelligence following facing significant public disapproval.
The 45-second ad was produced using AI-generated video and was initially released publicly for McDonald's Netherlands on 6 December.
Audience Response and Removal
Shortly after its release, audiences online denounced the implementation of AI in the advert. Many described it as "uncanny" and "jarringly assembled".
"This incident serves as an valuable lesson as we examine the effective utilization of Artificial Intelligence," said a representative from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was created for McDonald's by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It depicted various scenarios that might go awry during the Christmas break, with the slogan "the most terrible time of the year".
A Growing Trend of AI-Generated Ads
Commercials that incorporate generative AI have become a rising phenomenon among prominent companies, especially for the holiday campaign season.
- Coca-Cola has recently released back-to-back AI-generated Christmas ads.
- Inherent Limitations: Since videos produced using generative AI are prone to distort the more extended they are, most such clips tend to be only short in length.
- Industry Concerns: The ad also raised concerns about job displacement in the advertising industry, with some critics noting it could reduce work for camera crews.
Response from the Creators
After the ad being taken down, a producer's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, defended the project.
She stated, the production process took "over a month and a half" and involved creating "countless iterations" which were then crafted during the edit "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't an experiment," she commented. "The result was a finished piece."
Mixed Public Reception
While the Dutch McDonald's ad was predominantly panned, the response for some AI-assisted campaigns has been varied.
For instance, a consecutive AI-generated holiday ad from another major brand according to analysis received a significant "favorable response" from the public.
However, several companies have also encountered scrutiny for employing the technique in advertising. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was criticized for ads that some described as "cheap" and "uncanny".
The situation illustrates the continuing debate within the advertising and creative industries about the balance between technological innovation and creative integrity.
