Google has pulled an ad for its AI chatbot Gemini following backlash online.
“While the ad tested well before airing, given the feedback, we have decided to phase the ad out…”
Google being Google… Of course it tested well and lacked taste! https://t.co/OTQx0y8bV6
— Jori Lallo (@jorilallo) August 3, 2024
The advertisement depicted a little girl and her dad using the tool to write a fan letter to an Olympic athlete. Based on user feedback, the company decided to phase out the commercial.
Google is pulling the Olympic Gemini ad that shows AI writing a fan letter for a kid to her Olympic idol: "“While the ad tested well before airing, given the feedback, we have decided to phase the ad out of our Olympics rotation." https://t.co/vBwhfSSCpV
— Jane Rosenzweig (@RosenzweigJane) August 2, 2024
The ad, “Dear Sydney,” showed a girl’s dad prompting the AI chatbot to help write a letter to her favorite athlete, U.S. hurdler and sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. The father said in the ad, “Gemini, help my daughter write a letter telling Sydney how inspiring she is.” The commercial then briefly shows the draft Gemini produced and closes with footage of the little girl running on the track with a text overlay that says, “A little help from Gemini.”
“I am not a big corporation, but I do not think that a good way of selling your product is to announce that it will suck all the joy out of being alive. I enjoy the joys of being alive. I don’t hate efficiency. But I hate missing the point.” 👀
— Jorge Arango (@jarango) August 1, 2024
The ad initially tested well, but it was removed from the airwaves after repeated showings in the first week of the Games. A Google spokesperson stated, “While the ad tested well before airing, given the feedback, we have decided to phase the ad out of our Olympics rotation.” The spokesperson also mentioned that Google sees the Gemini app as providing a “starting point” for writing ideas.
Google phases out controversial AI ad
We believe that AI can be a great tool for enhancing human creativity, but can never replace it,” the statement said. Our goal was to create an authentic story celebrating Team USA.
Despite the ad’s initial defense, backlash grew as people accused Google of encouraging automation over authenticity, especially with children.
Shelly Palmer, professor of advanced media at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, criticized the ad, stating, “I flatly reject the future that Google is advertising.” She mentioned that technology promotes a “monocultural future where we see fewer and fewer examples of original human thoughts.
Google is not alone in facing criticism for ads promoting AI in creative tasks. Another recent commercial depicted machines destroying musical instruments and paint cans to reveal a new iPad Pro, which faced backlash and was subsequently pulled. The controversy highlights the ongoing debate about AI’s role in creative fields.
OpenAI technology chief Mira Murati has commented that while AI may lead to the loss of some creative jobs, not all of those jobs should have existed in the first place. After Scarlett Johansson stated that OpenAI used her voice for the new ChatGPT AI voice named “Sky” without permission, Hollywood actors and unions have been vocally critical.
