🔗 Share this article The Fast-Food Giant Removes Artificial Intelligence Holiday Commercial In the Wake of Public Outcry. An AI-created image featured in the controversial fast-food commercial. McDonald's has taken down a holiday commercial made with AI after receiving considerable online backlash. The 45-second ad was developed using AI video tools and was first published online for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December. Audience Reaction and Decision to Pull Shortly after its release, commenters lambasted the employment of AI in the commercial. A number of called it "uncanny" and "poorly edited". "This moment is an valuable learning as we examine the appropriate use of Artificial Intelligence," said a statement from the company. The commercial was created for McDonald's by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed a series of things that might go awry over the holidays, using the theme "not the most wonderful time of the year". A Growing Movement of AI Commercials Campaigns that include AI-created content have emerged as a increasing phenomenon among prominent corporations, particularly for the holiday campaign season. Another beverage giant has recently launched back-to-back AI-created Christmas ads. Technical Challenges: As videos created using generative AI are prone to distort the longer they run, the majority of such clips tend to be only six to 10 seconds in length. Industry Concerns: The video also provoked worries about job displacement in the advertising industry, with some critics noting it could reduce work for production staff. Response from the Production Company Following the video's removal, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the project. According to her, the production process took "seven weeks" and involved generating "thousands of takes" which were then crafted during the edit "just as we would on any high-craft production". "This wasn't just an AI trick," she commented. "The result was a film." Divisive Audience Sentiment While the McDonald's commercial was predominantly criticized, the response for other AI-generated holiday ads has been varied. For instance, a recent AI-generated Christmas spot from Coca-Cola reportedly garnered a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from online commenters. However, other businesses have likewise received scrutiny for employing the technique in marketing. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that critics called "lazy" and "uncanny". The episode illustrates the ongoing debate within the marketing and production sectors about the trade-off between technological innovation and human craftsmanship.
An AI-created image featured in the controversial fast-food commercial. McDonald's has taken down a holiday commercial made with AI after receiving considerable online backlash. The 45-second ad was developed using AI video tools and was first published online for the Dutch branch of McDonald's back on 6 December. Audience Reaction and Decision to Pull Shortly after its release, commenters lambasted the employment of AI in the commercial. A number of called it "uncanny" and "poorly edited". "This moment is an valuable learning as we examine the appropriate use of Artificial Intelligence," said a statement from the company. The commercial was created for McDonald's by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and American production company The Sweetshop. It portrayed a series of things that might go awry over the holidays, using the theme "not the most wonderful time of the year". A Growing Movement of AI Commercials Campaigns that include AI-created content have emerged as a increasing phenomenon among prominent corporations, particularly for the holiday campaign season. Another beverage giant has recently launched back-to-back AI-created Christmas ads. Technical Challenges: As videos created using generative AI are prone to distort the longer they run, the majority of such clips tend to be only six to 10 seconds in length. Industry Concerns: The video also provoked worries about job displacement in the advertising industry, with some critics noting it could reduce work for production staff. Response from the Production Company Following the video's removal, a producer's CEO, Melanie Bridge, spoke in support of the project. According to her, the production process took "seven weeks" and involved generating "thousands of takes" which were then crafted during the edit "just as we would on any high-craft production". "This wasn't just an AI trick," she commented. "The result was a film." Divisive Audience Sentiment While the McDonald's commercial was predominantly criticized, the response for other AI-generated holiday ads has been varied. For instance, a recent AI-generated Christmas spot from Coca-Cola reportedly garnered a 61% "positive sentiment rating" from online commenters. However, other businesses have likewise received scrutiny for employing the technique in marketing. Luxury brand Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that critics called "lazy" and "uncanny". The episode illustrates the ongoing debate within the marketing and production sectors about the trade-off between technological innovation and human craftsmanship.