McDonald’s has pulled its AI-generated Christmas advert following widespread criticism online. The 45-second video, released on 6 December on McDonald’s Netherlands YouTube channel, was created using generative AI clips. Viewers quickly voiced their disapproval, calling the ad “creepy” and poorly edited.
The advert, produced by Dutch agency TBWA\Neboko and U.S. company The Sweetshop, aimed to showcase holiday mishaps with the slogan, “the most terrible time of the year,” suggesting that spending time with McDonald’s could make the season better. However, the AI-generated characters and stitched-together clips drew negative reactions from social media users, sparking debates over both the quality of AI content and potential job displacement in filmmaking.
Most AI-generated clips are short, typically 6–10 seconds, which meant the 45-second ad consisted of numerous stitched-together segments. Following the backlash, McDonald’s Netherlands made the video private on YouTube on 9 December and called the incident “an important learning moment” for exploring AI usage in advertising.
Melanie Bridge, CEO of The Sweetshop, defended the production, emphasizing that the ad took seven weeks to create, involving “thousands of takes” and careful editing. “This wasn’t an AI trick; it was a film,” she explained.
While AI-driven campaigns are becoming more common during the holiday season—Coca-Cola recently released its second AI-generated Christmas advert—reactions remain mixed.
