"The ad, titled the most terrible time of the year, depicts scenes of Christmas chaos, with Santa caught in a traffic jam and a gift-laden Dutch cyclist slipping in the snow. And the message? Retreat to a McDonald's restaurant until January and ride out the festive season."
"But the generative AI advertisement from the Big Mac maker's Netherlands division sparked a flurry of criticism on social media. This commercial single-handedly ruined my Christmas spirit, said one user. Good riddance to AI slop, posted another."
"Melanie Bridge, the chief executive of the Sweetshop Films, the company which made the ad, defended its use of AI 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."
McDonald's Netherlands removed an AI-generated Christmas commercial after it provoked strong negative reactions online. The ad portrayed holiday chaos—Santa stuck in a traffic jam and a gift-laden Dutch cyclist slipping in the snow—and encouraged viewers to shelter in McDonald's restaurants until January. Social media users criticized the spot and described it as spoiling holiday spirit. The production company defended AI use, saying it expanded the creative toolbox and required substantial hours and personnel. An independent producer countered that AI work displaced roles such as actors and choirs. Coca-Cola also released an AI holiday ad that avoids close-ups of humans.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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