Character From the Catastrophic McDonald’s AI Ad Comes Back to Haunt Fast Food Chain

by · Peta Pixel
This AI character appeared in the now-pulled McDonald’s ad and has been reappropriated in a clever video to show how the company has no control over it. | All Trades

A follow-up to the infamous AI-generated McDonald’s Christmas ad poignantly shows how corporations have no control over their creation when using the technology.

The original AI ad for McDonald’s Netherlands was pulled after widespread backlash and mockery when the filmmakers behind it insisted they “hardly slept” when making the ad.

“McDonald’s Netherlands has decided to remove our AI-generated Christmas advert,” the company said in a statement. “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.”

Luckily, some people had the foresight to keep a copy of McDonald’s AI ad, see below, but worse still for the fast food chain, people have started iterating on it by borrowing some of the characters from the ad.

Inc. reports that creative agency All Trades Co. featured one of the ‘actors’ that appeared in the McDonald’s ad in a video that highlights the pitfalls of using AI.

“Commercials used to use real actors,” the AI woman says. “And those real actors used to be under contract buyouts. That meant they couldn’t turn around and support a competitor,” she says while dipping her hand into a Burger King bag.

The video makes a sharp point: when a corporation uses AI to create an advertisement, it effectively relinquishes control over how those characters may appear in future media, largely because such works are difficult to register with copyright authorities.

While it is not impossible, the U.S. Copyright Office has taken a dim view of works that are entirely AI-generated. It is not like Ronald McDonald, which is heavily protected.

“It almost seems like we should value human labor, craft, and creativity,” the character says. “But what do I know? I’m just AI. I’ll say and do anything.”

At the end of the video, a message from All Trades appears: “We work with humans. Unless we’re making a video about how AI videos are bad.”