McDonald's Takes Down AI-Created Holiday Commercial After Backlash.

The global fast-food chain has pulled a Christmas advert produced with Artificial Intelligence following receiving considerable online backlash.

The short ad was developed via generative AI clips and was first published publicly for McDonald's Netherlands back on 6 December.

Audience Reaction and Decision to Pull

Following its publication, commenters lambasted the implementation of AI in the film. Many labeled it "uncanny" and "awkwardly stitched together".

"This incident is an important lesson as we explore the proper application of Artificial Intelligence," commented a statement from McDonald's Netherlands.

The advert was created for McDonald's by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and US production company The Sweetshop. It showed a series of situations that can go wrong during the Christmas break, with the tagline "not the most wonderful time of the year".

A Growing Trend of AI Commercials

Campaigns that include AI-created content have emerged as a rising phenomenon among large companies, particularly for the Christmas campaign season.

• Coca-Cola has recently released back-to-back AI-created holiday commercials.
• Technical Challenges: As segments produced using current AI video tools are more likely to become unstable the longer they run, most AI video outputs tend to be roughly a few seconds in length.
• Industry Concerns: The video also sparked worries about job displacement in the production industry, with some observers noting it might reduce opportunities for actors.

Defense from the Creators

After the ad being taken down, a producer's chief executive, Melanie Bridge, defended the project.

Bridge claimed, the production process took "seven weeks" and involved creating "numerous versions" which were then shaped during the edit "just as we would on any traditional production".

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

Mixed Public Reception

While the Dutch McDonald's ad was mostly criticized, the sentiment for other AI-assisted holiday ads has been more mixed.

For instance, a recent AI-created holiday spot from another major brand reportedly achieved a significant "positive sentiment rating" from online commenters.

However, several companies have also encountered backlash for using AI in marketing. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that some called "cheap" and "uncanny".

The episode underscores the ongoing conversation within the advertising and creative sectors about the trade-off between technological innovation and human craftsmanship.