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Not lovin' it: McDonald's pulls Dutch AI Christmas ad
The Straits Times
|December 12, 2025
US burger chain McDonald's said on Dec 10 that it removed an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated Christmas advert in the Netherlands after it was lambasted online.
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The advert, “The most terrible time of the year”, depicts Christmas chaos, with Santa caught in a traffic jam and a present-laden Dutch cyclist slipping in the snow.
The message: retreat to a McDonald's restaurant until January and ride out the festive season.
But the ad sparked a (Mc)flurry of criticism on social media. “This commercial single-handedly ruined my Christmas spirit,” said one user. “Good riddance to AI slop,” posted another.
This story is from the December 12, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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