Why trust Greenbot
While Olympians are receiving cheers and support from audiences worldwide, Google has been forced to pull an advertisement for its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Gemini from the Olympic broadcast after drawing backlash across the globe.
The 60-second ad, entitled “Dear Sydney,” featured a father using the AI bot to help his daughter write a letter to her Olympic hero, US hurdler and sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. In the end, the commercial shows the young girl running on track with the caption, “A little help from Gemini.”
Since its debut at the opening of the Paris Olympics 2024, the advertisement has faced criticism online for its message. After repeated showings in the first week of the Games, Google decided to take it down—though it is still available on YouTube.
It’s a no from the Internet
Many social media users have expressed their disapproval of the ad, claiming that Google completely overlooked the reason for making a fan letter. Netizens insisted that fan letters should come from the heart to be authentic, not automated, to evoke a sense of human-to-human connection and enable children to express self-expression.
“I flatly reject the future that Google is advertising,” wrote Shelly Palmer, professor at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, in her blog. Palmer added that this approach to communication would lead to “a monocultural future where we see fewer and fewer examples of original human thoughts.”
Likewise, Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petra aired her exasperation, saying she wants to “throw a sledgehammer into the television every time I see it.”
Only a starting point
Before yanking the ad from Olympic coverage, Google released a statement to defend it.
While the company recognized the criticisms, it highlighted the commercial only wanted to “show how the Gemini app can provide a starting point, thought starter, or early draft for someone looking for ideas for their writing.”
Despite the ad phase-out, Google maintains its stance that its AI chatbot can be a great tool for enhancing creativity but can never replace it. “Our goal was to create an authentic story celebrating Team USA.”
Not just Google, Apple too
This was not the first time that an AI company missed the mark on its advertisement. Apple recently had to apologize and pull its “Crush” ad from television after drawing the ire of the art industry.
In the commercial, a hydraulic press was shown crushing musical instruments and creative tools into an iPad Pro. This imagery was not received well, as writers, artists, performers, and other creatives saw it as a threat and competition that would ultimately steal and replace their work.
