Google’s attempt to channel Olympic excitement into its chatbot Gemini “was tested long before it aired,” the company said. But when the ad first aired, viewers balked at the idea, suggesting that AI was a weak substitute for parenting and human creativity.
“Dear Sydney,” which featured a father using Gemini to help his daughter write fan letters, received such a negative response that Google decided to phase it out of TV.
“Our goal was to create an authentic story that celebrates Team USA,” the tech giant said in a statement, adding that “AI can be a great tool to enhance human creativity, but it can never replace it.” Still, Google pulled the ad from its Olympic rotation. youtubeComments are disabled.
Google’s ad centers around a father (the narrator) and his daughter. She has “always been a runner” and admires American hurdler and sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Lebron. So she sends fan mail and “wants to show Sydney some love.”
“I’m pretty good with words, but this has to fit,” Dad explains. Then, the father’s voice asks Gemini to help draft a fan letter to McLaughlin-Levrone. Eve’s “Who’s That Girl” cuts in. (Eve’s publisher, Universal Music Group, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.) Then, Sparkling graphics It spins and Google’s chatbot generates a draft. The ad ends with the tagline, “A Little Help from Gemini.”
It wasn’t well-received. “This ad that shows someone using AI to write fan letters to their heroes sucks.” wrote Linda Holmes, host of NPR’s pop culture podcast, posted on social media sites Blue sky“I’m so disgusted by the whole thing,” she said. Washington Post The columnist said it made her I want to ~ “Throw a sledgehammer at the television.” The ad drew criticism on Reddit. Dadit GroupSome users described it as “disgusting” and “inhumane.”
Shelly Palmer, professor of advanced media studies at Syracuse University’s School of Communication, argued: essay The ad exaggerates Gemini’s abilities and sends the wrong message to parents. “Google would have this young girl believe that she doesn’t need to learn how to express and explain her reality,” Palmer wrote. “This is criminal negligence.”
This ad features Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Instagram A week ago, a user asked, “Do you really want to receive AI-generated letters?” Some commenters were more positive. “This brought tears to my eyes,” one user said.[N]“He’s someone anyone would look up to,” another person replied. Still, Google pulled the ad.
Another tech giant’s ad has also recently flopped. Apple caused a bit of a stir in May when it extolled the role of technology in fostering human creativity. The company’s “Crush” ad featured an industrial shredder slowly crushing a series of creative objects, including paint cans, a piano, several books, and a sculpture. As the shredder lifts, the creepy thing about it is that it leaves an iPad in its wake.
