McDonald's Takes Down AI-Generated Festive Advertisement Following Backlash.

McDonald's has taken down a Christmas commercial produced with generative AI after encountering significant criticism on social media.

The brief ad was developed with the help of AI video tools and was originally published on the YouTube channel for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.

Audience Criticism and Removal

Soon after it aired, commenters lambasted the employment of AI in the advert. Many called it "creepy" and "awkwardly stitched together".

"This experience is an important lesson as we examine the appropriate use of generative technology," commented a spokesperson from the company.

The commercial was produced for the brand by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It portrayed various scenarios that often go badly during the Christmas break, with the theme "the worst time of the year".

The Trend of AI-Generated Ads

Commercials that incorporate AI tools have emerged as a increasing trend among large corporations, particularly for the holiday period.

• Coca-Cola has also launched consecutive AI-generated holiday commercials.
• Technical Challenges: Since videos created with generative AI are prone to degrade the longer they run, the majority of AI video outputs tend to be only a few seconds in length.
• Industry Concerns: The video also sparked concerns about the replacement of human roles in the creative sector, with some commenters pointing out it could reduce work for camera crews.

Defense from the Creators

Following the ad being taken down, The Sweetshop's CEO, Melanie Bridge, defended the advert.

She stated, the creation took "seven weeks" and involved producing "numerous versions" which were then crafted during the edit "in the same way we would on any high-craft production".

"This wasn't an experiment," she commented. "The result was a finished piece."

Mixed Public Reception

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

For instance, a recent AI-created holiday ad from another major brand reportedly achieved a 61% "positive feedback" from the public.

However, various brands have also faced criticism for employing AI in marketing. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for advertisements that critics described as "lazy" and "uncanny".

The incident illustrates the continuing conversation within the marketing and production sectors about the balance between technological innovation and human craftsmanship.