McDonald's Netherlands Takes Down AI-Created Christmas Ad Following Backlash.

The global fast-food chain has pulled a Christmas commercial created using AI after receiving significant criticism on social media.

The brief spot was produced with the help of generative AI clips and was initially published online for McDonald's Netherlands back on 6 December.

Viewer Response and Decision to Pull

Soon after it aired, commenters criticized the implementation of AI in the advert. Several described it as "uncanny" and "poorly edited".

"This incident serves as an important learning as we investigate the effective application of generative technology," commented a spokesperson from the company.

The advert was created for McDonald's by Netherlands-based company TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed a series of scenarios that often go badly over the Christmas break, using the slogan "the most terrible time of the year".

A Growing Movement of AI-Generated Ads

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

• Another beverage giant has also launched back-to-back AI-generated holiday commercials.
• Technical Challenges: Since segments created with generative AI are more likely to degrade the longer they run, most AI video outputs tend to be about six to 10 seconds in length.
• Broader Implications: The video also raised concerns about job displacement in the advertising industry, with some critics pointing out it could affect work for production staff.

Defense from the Creators

After the commercial being pulled, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, defended the advert.

She stated, the development took "seven weeks" and involved generating "thousands of takes" which were then crafted in post-production "in the same way we would on any standard production".

"This was not an AI trick," she said. "We consider it a finished piece."

Divisive Audience Sentiment

While the McDonald's commercial was largely panned, the response for some AI-assisted campaigns has been divisive.

For instance, a recent AI-created Christmas ad from Coca-Cola according to analysis garnered a 61% "favorable response" from online commenters.

However, various brands have also encountered scrutiny for using AI in advertising. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that critics described as "cheap" and "uncanny".

The situation highlights the continuing discussion within the marketing and creative sectors about the trade-off between technological innovation and creative integrity.