First Coca-Cola, now the Golden Arches.
By
Timothy Beck Werth
Tech Editor
Timothy Beck Werth is the Tech Editor at Mashable, where he leads coverage and assignments for the Tech and Shopping verticals. Tim has over 15 years of experience as a journalist and editor, and he has particular experience covering and testing consumer technology, smart home gadgets, and men’s grooming and style products. Previously, he was the Managing Editor and then Site Director of SPY.com, a men's product review and lifestyle website. As a writer for GQ, he covered everything from bull-riding competitions to the best Legos for adults, and he’s also contributed to publications such as The Daily Beast, Gear Patrol, and The Awl.
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Credit: McDonald's Netherlands
Normally, a brand would be thrilled if its new holiday commercial went viral, but a new McDonald's Netherlands ad has gone viral for all the wrong reasons.
Originally posted to YouTube on Dec. 6, the holiday commercial was clearly made using generative AI, and it also features a label disclosing it as "AI-generated." The commercial's theme is "The most terrible time of the year," and it features a montage of short clips depicting holiday traditions descending into chaos. The clips bear the hallmarks of generative AI video — generic-looking actors, exaggerated movements, strange inconsistencies, and a flat, artless aesthetic.
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After the video gained mainstream attention, the backlash from AI haters was overwhelming. While the "most terrible time of the year" theme may have been intended as tongue-in-cheek, many viewers found the idea cynical. By Dec. 9, McDonald's Netherlands pulled the holiday commercial, or advert.
McDonald's provided Mashable with the following statement from McDonald's Netherlands:
Mashable Light Speed
"McDonald’s Netherlands has decided to remove our AI-generated Christmas advert. It was intended to reflect the stressful moments that can occur during the holidays in the Netherlands, but we recognize that for many of our guests, the season is 'the most wonderful time of the year'. We respect that and remain committed to creating experiences that offer Good Times and Good Food for everyone."
Recently, Coca-Cola published its own AI-generated holiday commercial, made in partnership with the AI studio Secret Level. Though Coca-Cola also faced backlash for its ad, the company has continued playing the ad throughout the holiday season, undeterred by critics.
The BBC reports that the McDonald's Netherlands commercial was made by the Dutch company TBWA\Neboko and the U.S. company The Sweetshop. Speaking to Futurism, the CEO of Sweetshop emphasized that a lot of human labor went into the final product.
"We generated what felt like dailies — thousands of takes — then shaped them in the edit just as we would on any high-craft production,” the CEO reportedly said. "This wasn’t an AI trick. It was a film."
But for AI critics, any amount of AI in filmmaking or advertising is unacceptable, full stop. Likewise, writers and actors' unions have fought against expanding the use of generative AI. Even so, Hollywood and Madison Avenue leaders appear eager to adopt the new technology.
Timothy Beck Werth is the Tech Editor at Mashable, where he leads coverage and assignments for the Tech and Shopping verticals. Tim has over 15 years of experience as a journalist and editor, and he has particular experience covering and testing consumer technology, smart home gadgets, and men’s grooming and style products. Previously, he was the Managing Editor and then Site Director of SPY.com, a men's product review and lifestyle website. As a writer for GQ, he covered everything from bull-riding competitions to the best Legos for adults, and he’s also contributed to publications such as The Daily Beast, Gear Patrol, and The Awl.
Tim studied print journalism at the University of Southern California. He currently splits his time between Brooklyn, NY and Charleston, SC. He's currently working on his second novel, a science-fiction book.
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