McDonald’s has announced the removal of an AI-generated Christmas advertisement in the Netherlands following widespread criticism across social media platforms. The ad, titled “the most terrible time of the year,” portrays a series of chaotic holiday scenes, including Santa trapped in traffic and a gift-laden Dutch cyclist slipping on snow. The ad concludes with a message encouraging viewers to escape to a McDonald’s restaurant until the end of the holiday season.
Despite its intent to capture the stressful aspects of the festive period, the advertisement quickly became a point of contention, prompting numerous negative reactions online. One user expressed disappointment, stating, “This commercial single-handedly ruined my Christmas spirit,” while another dismissed it as “good riddance to AI slop.”
In response to the backlash, McDonald’s Netherlands released a statement clarifying that the commercial aimed to depict the holiday stress experienced by many. They acknowledged the feedback, noting that many people consider this time of year to be “the most wonderful time of the year.”
Melanie Bridge, the chief executive of Sweetshop Films, the production company behind the ad, defended the use of artificial intelligence in a LinkedIn post. She emphasized that the goal of employing AI is not to replace human creativity, but to enhance the creative process. “The vision, the taste, the leadership … that will always be human,” she stated, adding that the project required extensive resources, involving ten people over five weeks at full-time commitment.
However, her defense sparked further debate. Emlyn Davies from Bomper Studio countered on LinkedIn, questioning the impact of the decision on human involvement in the creative process. “What about the humans who would have been in it, the actors, the choir?” he asked, highlighting that the team size for this AI-generated project was minimal compared to a traditional live-action shoot.
The advertisement’s controversy comes on the heels of Coca-Cola’s recent AI-generated holiday ad, which similarly attracted criticism after its last year’s attempt. The new Coca-Cola ad minimizes human presence and highlights AI-created images of adorable animals in a winter scene.
The conflicting views on the role of AI in advertising raise questions about the future of creative industries and the balance between technology and human craftsmanship. As brands continue to experiment with artificial intelligence, the discussions surrounding these choices are likely to persist.
