Not lovin’ it: McDonald’s pulls Dutch AI Christmas ad

Branding expert Tony Chapman on why McDonald’s faced intense criticism for their A.I.-generated holiday advertisement.

U.S. burger chain McDonald’s said on Wednesday it had removed an AI-generated Christmas advert in the Netherlands after it was filleted online.

The advert, “the most terrible time of the year”, depicts Christmas chaos, with Santa caught in a traffic jam and a present-laden Dutch cyclist slipping in the snow.

The message: retreat to a McDonald’s restaurant until January and ride out the festive season.

But the generative AI ad sparked a (Mc)flurry of criticism on social media.

“This commercial single-handedly ruined my Christmas spirit,” said one user. “Good riddance to AI slop,” posted another.

McDonald’s Netherlands said in a statement to AFP: “The Christmas commercial was intended to show the stressful moments during the holidays in the Netherlands.

“However, we notice -- based on the social comments and international media coverage -- that for many guests this period is ‘the most wonderful time of the year’.”

Melanie Bridge, chief executive of The Sweetshop Films, which made the ad, defended its use of artificial intelligence in a post on LinkedIn.

“It’s never about replacing craft, it’s about expanding the toolbox. The vision, the taste, the leadership... that will always be human,” she said.

“And here’s the part people don’t see: the hours that went into this job far exceeded a traditional shoot. Ten people, five weeks, full-time,” added Bridge.

But this too sparked online debate.

Emlyn Davies, from independent production company Bomper Studio, replied to the LinkedIn post: “What about the humans who would have been in it, the actors, the choir?

“Ten people on a project like this is a tiny amount compared to shooting it traditionally live action.”