Gemini’s approximation to a human interlocutor feels even more salient thanks to new functionality that allows users to interrupt the bot whenever it’s talking, as opposed to having to wait for it to finish its response before taking a new inquiry, as such tools have typically required. This feature is prominently shown in the ad. AI providers are racing to make their bots as humanlike as possible by improving these subtle details of conversation.
Many of the use cases depicted reflect tedious or technically complicated tasks, such as writing a difficult email or fixing a car. Other use cases are less straightforward, such as a bemused father seeking advice from Gemini about how to put his hyper son to bed. There are also various moments when the characters consult Gemini as if it were a close friend, such as a scene in which the man receives encouragement about going to the gym, or another where Palmer is telling the bot about her dreams.
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An entire market has emerged around humanlike tools providing AI-powered companionship, but has also drawn significant criticism for its dystopian implications. Google received backlash for an ad that aired during the Summer Olympic Games, which showed a father asking Gemini to write his daughter’s fan letter to her athletic hero. The backlash prompted Google to pull the spot from its TV rotation during the Games.
Google declined a request to comment on whether it applied lessons learned from the backlash to its Olympics ad to its new commercial.
The Pixel campaign was developed by Google’s creative teams and Ogilvy New York. In addition to the 90-second TV spot, which will air in the U.S. and a few other countries through the end of the year, Google is running 15-second spots highlighting playful exchanges between Gemini and Palmer, Wilson and English soccer player Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Meanwhile, Google is contending with antitrust trials that are threatening to force it to sell Chrome in order to abdicate part of its search monopoly. Competitors such as The Trade Desk are seizing the moment to grow their advertising offerings as alternatives to the hamstrung tech giant.
