Google Says AI Olympics Ad Was ‘Thoroughly Tested’ Before Inciting Outrage

Google’s attempt to inject some Olympic excitement into its chatbot, Gemini, “was thoroughly tested before going live,” the company said. However, at its inception, the ad threw off viewers by making artificial intelligence seem like it was taking the weak place of parenting and human creativity.

The negative response to “Dear Sydney,” featuring a father who uses Gemini to help his daughter write a fan book, was so good that it prompted Google to pull it from TV rotation.

“Our goal was to create an authentic story to celebrate Team USA,” the tech giant told CNBC. But after viewers gave their feedback, Google said it had “decided to remove the ad from our Olympics rotation.” The ad is still available on YouTube, the comment feature is disabled.

The ad focuses on a father and daughter, who have “always been runners” and look up to American runner and sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. “You want to show Sydney some love, and I’m very good with words, but this has to be right,” explained a fatherly voice. So, Dad asks Gemini to help write a fan letter to McLaughlin-Levrone. At this point, Eve’s “Who’s That Girl” comes in (Eve’s publisher, Universal Music Group, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter). Then, a twirl of a glossy image and Google’s chatbot generates a draft. The ad ends with the tagline, “A little help from Gemini.”

Most people didn’t like it! “This is a commercial that shows a kid using AI to write a SUCKS fan letter,” wrote NPR’s pop-culture podcast host Linda Holmes on social media platform BlueSky. “I feel bad about the whole thing,” she said. A Washington Post columnist said it made him want to “throw a hammer at television.” The ad also drew criticism from Reddit’s Daddit group, where some users described it as “nasty” and “inhumane.”

Shelly Palmer, a professor of advanced media at Syracuse University’s school of communication, argued in an article that the ad exaggerated Gemini’s abilities and sent the wrong message to parents. “Google would like us to believe that this little girl doesn’t need to learn to speak and explain her truth,” Palmer wrote. “This is criminal negligence.”

The ad also appeared on Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s Instagram last week. “Do you really want to get a letter generated by an ai?,” asked one user. Other commenters responded very well. “This made me cry,” the user said. “[N]a better person to look up to,” replied another. Nevertheless, Google pulled the ad.

Another tech giant’s ad has also recently dropped. Apple sparked outrage in May when it tried to praise technology’s role in aiding human creativity. The company’s “Crush” ad starred an industrial crusher that slowly crushes a collection of artifacts — including several buckets of paint, a piano, several books, and a statue. As the crusher lifts off, it coolly leaves the iPad behind.