McDonald's AI ad faces backlash online after creators claim they "hardly slept" for weeks as they tackled the "challenge"

Christmas is right around the corner, and McDonald's Netherlands released an ad that has reportedly been AI-generated. However, it was not one of the usual commercials highlighting the Christmas mood. In fact, the viral ad showcased the "terrible truth" about this popular holiday.

The creative duo MAMA directed the ad which had a reinvented version of the famous Christmas song It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year as "the most terrible time of the year." The fact that it has been AI-generated garnered questions on social media platforms like X and Instagram.

While many netizens criticized the company for coming up with an AI-generated ad, the creators came to defend it. According to LLB Online, Sweetshop CEO Melanie Bridge responded to the reactions and said,

"AI didn't make' McDonald's Christmas Ad. We Did."

Online site Culture Crave reports suggested that according to the team, they stayed up for weeks for "writing AI prompts and refining the shots." Bridge further said that they chose AI to make the ad because producing it in live action would have been an expensive affair. Bridge then continued by stating that the commercial needed a flexible and fast production.

The commercial reportedly exposed a hard truth that December is not always magical, with a comical touch. Speaking of the ad, Melanie Bridge stated,

"It had to feel like a film shaped by directors…. The fact that the medium happened to be AI was almost incidental. Craft was the point."

How did netizens react to McDonald's viral AI-generated commercial?

As previously stated, most netizens did not react to McDonald's Netherlands very positively. A lot of them called out the company for avoiding taking real people in the commercial and choosing AI. One user took to X and wrote,

"AI dorks trying to convince everyone that typing prompts and wasting money to avoid paying actors or 3D artists is hard work." 

"speaking/typing prompts to a machine is SOOOOOOOOOO hard," added a tweet.

"AI created, AI edited. I see nothing wrong with this other than claiming humans created it," wrote a netizen.

A lot of other netizens had the same perspective about the viral commercial. A user tweeted,

"Y'all fired your entire art department during the pandemic, replaced them with a $20/month subscription."

"tha shi looks fake. billion dollar cooperation btw doing shi lik this," commented another netizen.

"Rightfully so they're receiving backlash. This is lazy slop and bare minimum effort for marketing," said another netizen.

While many netizens lashed out at the company, some X users had a different point of view. According to these users, the company's decision to use AI doesn't need to be criticized. Instead of showcasing a perfect holiday, the commercial amplified the struggles associated with it, such as chaotic dinners and family tensions.

As previously stated, Melanie Bridge defended the commercial despite all the backlash. Bridge highlighted that the team has put immense efforts into trying to make the commercial. She claimed that her team treated the commercial like a "challenge" and not an "experiment." She even urged people to focus on the "craft" used in the project.