McDonald's Pulls Artificial Intelligence Holiday Commercial In the Wake of Backlash.

The global fast-food chain has pulled a Christmas advertisement produced with AI following encountering widespread online backlash.

The short film was developed with the help of AI video tools and was originally published publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.

Viewer Response and Removal

Shortly after its release, audiences online denounced the use of AI in the commercial. Several described it as "creepy" and "awkwardly stitched together".

"This incident represents an valuable learning as we explore the effective use of AI," commented a representative from McDonald's Netherlands.

The advert was developed for the brand by Netherlands-based company TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It showed a series of situations that often go badly over the festive season, with the slogan "not the most wonderful time of the year".

A Growing Phenomenon of AI-Generated Ads

Campaigns that incorporate generative AI have become a growing phenomenon among prominent companies, especially for the holiday period.

• Another beverage giant has also launched consecutive AI-created holiday commercials.
• Inherent Limitations: Because videos made using current AI video tools are prone to distort the longer they run, most such clips tend to be roughly six to 10 seconds in length.
• Broader Implications: The ad also sparked concerns about automation in the creative sector, with some commenters noting it might reduce work for production staff.

Response from the Production Company

After the video's removal, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, stood by the project.

Bridge claimed, the creation took "seven weeks" and involved creating "numerous versions" which were then crafted in post-production "just as we would on any standard production".

"This was not an AI trick," Bridge asserted. "We consider it a proper commercial."

Divisive Audience Sentiment

While the McDonald's ad was largely panned, the reception for other AI-assisted campaigns has been more mixed.

For instance, a consecutive AI-created Christmas spot from Coca-Cola according to analysis garnered a 61% "positive feedback" from the public.

However, other businesses have likewise received backlash for using the technique in marketing. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was criticized for ads that critics described as "low-effort" and "uncanny".

The situation highlights the evolving conversation within the advertising and production industries about the trade-off between technological innovation and human craftsmanship.