McDonald’s Under Fire for ‘Creepy and Deeply Unfunny’ AI Christmas Ad

McDonald’s likely hoped its new holiday commercial would land as a funny, slightly chaotic take on the season. Instead, the AI-generated spot quickly set the internet buzzing, and not in the way the brand expected. Viewers across social platforms called the ad “creepy,” “off,” and even “deeply unfunny,” turning what was meant to be a lighthearted Christmas joke into a wider conversation about AI’s place in advertising.

The commercial, created for McDonald’s Netherlands, starts like a playful Christmas vignette before slipping into something more uncanny. It was built entirely through AI imagery, produced by TBWA’s Amsterdam team with help from an international AI production studio, The Sweetshop. The shift in tone was subtle at first, but viewers immediately picked up on expressions and visuals that just didn’t feel right.

It didn’t take long for social media to weigh in. People described the ad as strange and unsettling, pointing out odd facial movements and a mood that felt unintentionally eerie. A post on X by Culture Crave said that comments under the YouTube video had been turned off, something users took as a sign the backlash wasn’t exactly a surprise.

The Joke Behind the Concept

Interestingly, the idea itself wasn’t meant to be dark. Creatives behind the ad said it was supposed to riff on the holiday classic “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” flipping it into a relatable joke about December stress. On paper, it sounded harmless enough. But once those AI visuals were layered in, the intended humor didn’t quite come through, and the message got lost in the uncanny mix.

As criticism poured in, the AI production studio stepped forward to clarify how the ad was actually made. According to Culture Crave’s post, The Sweetshop CEO Melanie Bridge said that the project wasn’t a simple “type a prompt and go” situation. She explained that her team spent weeks shaping shots, adjusting details, and fixing what AI initially produced. “AI didn’t make McDonald’s Christmas ad. We did,” she said, pushing back on the idea that the final product was effortless or automated.

That explanation didn’t satisfy everyone. On Reddit, users questioned why such a short holiday commercial required “weeks of hardly sleeping.” Many felt the end result still looked like raw AI output. Others questioned whether a brand as large as McDonald’s should even lean into AI, given the resources they have for traditional production.

The Bigger Question: Why Use AI at All?

A recurring theme across comments was whether the ad was meant to cut costs. Some speculated that AI might be cheaper than filming a full live-action spot. Others argued the opposite — that the level of cleanup described by its creators sounded just as time-consuming, if not more. The discussion highlighted a growing public skepticism about brands using AI simply because it’s trendy or convenient.

Part of the ad’s problem may have come down to tone. Blending holiday humor with AI-generated faces, which can easily drift into uncanny territory, created a result that didn’t match the energy the creative team intended. Even small distortions in expressions or motion can throw a viewer off, and that’s exactly what happened here.

The creators stood by their process, insisting the team shaped the narrative and visuals manually, with AI acting only as a tool. Their response hints at how much work goes into controlling AI outputs, especially for something meant to feel warm or humorous. But for many viewers, those behind-the-scenes details didn’t change their reaction because the ad still felt strange.

An Unexpected PR Lesson for McDonald’s

What started as a seasonal promotion ended up becoming a talking point about AI’s role in advertising. The backlash made it clear that viewers are paying close attention to how big brands use these tools, and they aren’t always thrilled when the results feel rushed or emotionally flat.

For McDonald’s, the ad became less about Christmas and more about what happens when technology and storytelling don’t quite align.

If anything, the reaction shows how quickly public sentiment can turn when AI enters the picture. Some people are open to experimentation, but many still want big brands to deliver ads that feel warm, human, and thoughtfully crafted. When those expectations aren’t met, even a simple holiday joke can ignite a larger debate about the future of creativity.