McDonald's Netherlands Pulls AI-Generated Festive Advertisement After Backlash.

The global fast-food chain has taken down a holiday commercial created via AI after encountering widespread online backlash.

The 45-second spot was created with the help of generative AI clips and was first uploaded publicly for McDonald's Netherlands on 6 December.

Social Media Reaction and Decision to Pull

Following its publication, commenters denounced the implementation of AI in the film. A number of described it as "creepy" and "jarringly assembled".

"This experience is an valuable lesson as we explore the proper use of generative technology," commented a spokesperson from McDonald's Netherlands.

The advert was created for the brand by Netherlands-based agency TBWA\Neboko and American firm The Sweetshop. It depicted a series of situations that might go awry during the festive season, under the tagline "not the most wonderful time of the year".

The Movement of AI in Advertising

Adverts that feature generative AI have emerged as a rising trend among major brands, particularly for the Christmas season.

• Coca-Cola has also launched back-to-back AI-generated Christmas ads.
• Technical Challenges: Since segments created using current AI video tools are more likely to degrade the longer they run, most AI video outputs tend to be only short in length.
• Industry Concerns: The ad also sparked worries about automation in the production sector, with some commenters pointing out it might affect work for production staff.

Response from the Production Company

After the video's removal, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, stood by the project.

She stated, the production process took "over a month and a half" and involved producing "numerous versions" which were then edited afterward "in the same way we would on any traditional production".

"This was not an experiment," she said. "It was a film."

Mixed Public Reception

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

For instance, a consecutive AI-created holiday spot from Coca-Cola according to analysis achieved a significant "positive sentiment rating" from the public.

However, several companies have also faced criticism for employing AI in marketing. Luxury fashion house Valentino, for example, was lambasted for ads that critics called "cheap" and "disturbing".

The incident underscores the continuing debate within the advertising and creative sectors about the trade-off between technological innovation and audience reception.