Google’s Olympics ad for Gemini AI draws backlash in latest tech marketing fail

One weekend into the Olympics and a major sponsor is already receiving backlash for its advertising. New: Google pulls Olympics AI ad after backlash Google, which has a large presence at this year’s Games, has been running a national TV ad for its Gemini AI platform dubbed “Dear Sydney” that portrays a dad using the tool to help his daughter write a letter to an Olympian she idolizes. But while the tech company was hoping the spot would appear inspirational to sports lovers, lay viewers and ad leaders alike have dismissed it as tone-deaf. “Everything about the premise of this commercial makes my blood boil,” brand marketing expert Shelly Palmer wrote on his blog. The Google commercial where the dad has his daughter use AI to construct a note to her favorite athlete rather than encourage her to write what she actually wants to tell her hero takes a little chunk out of my soul every time I see it.— Will Leitch (@williamfleitch) July 28, 2024 Members of the ad industry went so far as to compare the spot to Apple’s highly controversial “Crush” ad, which critics lambasted in May for depicting a variety of creative tools being crushed by an industrial crusher. The Apple iPad commercial and the Google Gemini AI commercial are different versions of the same thing. They both give the same feeling that something is very off, a sort of tone-deafness to the valid concerns and fears of the majority. Both spots developed in-house. pic.twitter.com/G2JaNgLUqT— Michael J. Miraflor (@michaelmiraflor) July 29, 2024 The backlash to “Dear Sydney” stems from the AI use case presented by the ad. A father whose young daughter is a superfan of Olympic track star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wants to help her write a letter to her idol. But instead of encouraging his daughter to partake in the personal act—or assisting himself—he deputizes Gemini to write it for her. Some users of social media lamented how the ad seems to confirm the widely-held fear that AI will replace meaningful work, rather than merely inconvenient tasks. Others simply groaned that Google seemed to be hijacking a formative childhood moment for its own gain. Other people noted that Google disabled comments on the ad on YouTube. (Another Gemini ad that has run on TV still allows YouTube comments.) The ad was still running on TV as of last night, according to data from iSpot.TV. “We believe that AI can be a great tool for enhancing human creativity, but can never replace it,” a Google spokesperson told Ad Age. “Our goal was to create an authentic story celebrating Team USA. It showcases a real-life track enthusiast and her father, and aims to show how the Gemini app can provide a starting point, thought starter, or early draft for someone looking for ideas for their writing.” Google did not immediately respond to a question about YouTube comments being disabled. “Dear Sydney,” which was developed in-house, is the latest flub from a tech company trying too hard to appeal to consumers. Apple’s “Crush” ad earlier this year was received as tone-deaf for implying the iPad was greater than the sum of all human artistic achievement. Before that, Humane dropped the ball promoting its Ai Pin, which ad experts say was far too ambitious in its messaging. It doesn’t help that Google is receiving criticism around such a tentpole event such as the Olympics. The tech giant has a large presence at the games, including a deal with NBCU in which commentators will use its AI Overviews search feature to explain to viewers the rules of each event. It is also promoting a content series around Gemini starring Leslie Jones and is the official search AI partner of Team USA. Microsoft is also touting its AI capabilities through a spot that builds on its Super Bowl ad. Read more on Google’s Olympics marketing This isn’t the first time that Gemini has sparked mainstream backlash. Earlier this year, the platform began outputting insensitive and historically inaccurate images and information, forcing Google to temporarily suspend the features. While Gemini eventually came back online, its flub was serious enough to spark concern in the ad industry.

Google’s Olympics ad for Gemini AI draws backlash in latest tech marketing fail

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