McDonald's Removes AI-Created Holiday Commercial In the Wake of Online Criticism.

McDonald's has pulled a holiday advertisement produced via generative AI following facing significant criticism on social media.

The 45-second film was developed using generative AI clips and was originally released publicly for McDonald's Netherlands on 6 December.

Viewer Reaction and Removal

Shortly after its release, audiences online lambasted the use of AI in the advert. Many called it "creepy" and "awkwardly stitched together".

"This incident represents an important lesson as we explore the effective application of AI," commented a statement from the company.

The commercial was developed for the brand by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It showed a series of things that might go awry during the Christmas break, using the tagline "the worst time of the year".

A Growing Phenomenon of AI in Advertising

Commercials that feature AI tools have become a increasing phenomenon among large corporations, notably for the Christmas period.

• Another beverage giant has recently released back-to-back AI-generated holiday commercials.
• Inherent Limitations: Because segments created using generative AI are prone to degrade the longer they run, the majority of such clips tend to be roughly a few seconds in length.
• Industry Concerns: The video also sparked worries about job displacement in the creative industry, with some observers stating it might negatively impact opportunities for production staff.

Defense from the Production Company

Following the video's removal, The Sweetshop's CEO, Melanie Bridge, stood by the project.

According to her, the development required "seven weeks" and involved producing "countless iterations" which were then crafted afterward "in the same way we would on any high-craft production".

"This wasn't an AI trick," Bridge asserted. "We consider it a film."

Divisive Audience Sentiment

While the McDonald's ad was predominantly criticized, the response for other AI-assisted holiday ads has been varied.

For instance, a consecutive AI-generated Christmas ad from another major brand according to analysis received a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from viewers.

However, various brands have also encountered scrutiny for employing the technique in their campaigns. Italian fashion house Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that critics called "cheap" and "uncanny".

The situation underscores the continuing discussion within the advertising and creative industries about the balance between new tools and human craftsmanship.