McDonald's released an AI-generated commercial, drew intense criticism and then pulled the spot. As more global companies turn to generative AI for advertising, controversy has followed.
BBC reported on the 10th (local time) that McDonald's Netherlands posted the AI-created spot to its YouTube channel and quickly faced a wave of backlash on social media.
The 45-second commercial premiered on McDonald's Netherlands' YouTube channel on the 6th. Social media users slammed the use of AI; one commenter called it “the most god-awful ad I've seen this year.”
McDonald's Netherlands removed the video on the 9th; copies now remain only on a few social platforms.
The company said the episode offered an important lesson about exploring effective uses of AI. Agencies in the Netherlands and the United States produced the spot, but they did not disclose which tools were used.
Some experts argue consumers often don’t care whether AI was used in an ad. Critics countered that this commercial made the technology’s involvement obvious.
The ad ran under the slogan “the most god-awful time of the year,” depicting a series of holiday mishaps before suggesting that spending the season at McDonald's might be the better choice.
Viewers criticized the grotesque-looking characters and the patchwork scenes, calling the result creepy and poorly edited.
They also warned it could threaten jobs in the film industry. “No actors, no crew—if this is the future of filmmaking, it's terrifying,” one user wrote.
McDonald's unveiled what has to be the most god-awful ad I've seen this year – worse than Coca-Cola's.
— Theodore McKenzie (@realTedMcKenzie) December 6, 2025
Fully AI-generated, that's one. Looks repulsive, that's two. More cynical about Christmas than the Grinch, that's three.
I don't wanna be the only one suffering, take a look: pic.twitter.com/lRYODLkkBJ
But Melanie Bridge, CEO of Sweetshop—the agency behind the ad—defended the work.
Futurism reported the team completed the commercial over seven weeks, with many staff working with little sleep. They generated thousands of takes and edited them together to achieve a high-quality finish. Bridge said, “This isn't just an AI trick—it's a film.”
McDonald's Netherlands said the ad was intended to reflect the stressful moments that can occur during the holidays, but the company decided to remove the video.
It added that the episode provided an important lesson about how to use AI effectively.
Christmas campaigns can take up to a year to produce; AI can shorten that timeline to a few weeks.
Coca-Cola's recent holiday ad reportedly took about a month to make. Because it featured only animals and no humans, viewers reacted more positively than they did to the McDonald's spot.
According to social analytics firm Sprout Social, 61% of online commenters responded favorably to the Coca-Cola ad.
Reporter Daejun Lim ydj@aitimes.com
