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https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/11/mcdonalds-removes-ai-generated-christmas-ad-advert-backlash>
"McDonald’s says it has removed an AI-generated Christmas advertisement in the
Netherlands after it was criticised online.
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.
McDonald’s Netherlands said in a statement on Wednesday: “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, 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.”
But that too sparked online debate.
Emlyn Davies, from the 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.”
Coca-Cola recently released its own AI-generated holiday ad, despite receiving
backlash when it did the same last year.
The company’s new offering avoids close-ups of humans and mostly features
AI-generated images of cute animals in a wintry setting."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
