McDonald’s AI Holiday Ad Backfires, Exposing Corporate Automation Crisis
Artificial intelligence has become the corporate world’s favorite shortcut. From customer service chatbots to automated hiring tools and now advertising, AI is increasingly deployed not to enhance human creativity, but to replace it outright. The results have been mixed at best—and sometimes disastrous. McDonald’s Netherlands learned this lesson the hard way. In December 2025, the fast-food giant quietly released a fully AI-generated holiday commercial intended to mark the Christmas season. Instead of delighting viewers, the ad triggered a wave of mockery, discomfort, and outright hostility across social media platforms. Within days, McDonald’s disabled comments, delisted the video, and found itself … Read more