Google has withdrawn its latest Olympics advertisement featuring its Gemini chatbot after widespread criticism of its portrayal of artificial intelligence (AI) in the creative process of a child.
The advertisement, titled ‘Dear Sydney’ depicted a father using the Gemini AI chatbot to assist his daughter in writing a fan letter to her idol, US hurdler and sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. The commercial, which aired repeatedly during the first week of the Olympic Gamessparked controversy as viewers questioned why a child’s creative expression was being outsourced to AI.
The ad shows the father prompting the chatbot, saying, “Gemini, help my daughter write a letter telling Sydney how inspiring she is.” The commercial then briefly shows Gemini generating a draft, and then concludes with the daughter running on a track, accompanied by the text overlay, “A little help from Gemini.”
Google pulls the controversial ad
Although the ad remains accessible on YouTube, it has been removed from television broadcasts. In a response to CNBC, Google said, “While the ad tested well before airing, given the feedback, we have decided to phase the ad out of our Olympics rotation.”
Google initially defended the commercial, emphasising that Gemini was intended to provide a ‘starting point’ for writing ideas rather than replacing genuine creativity. “We believe that AI can be a great tool for enhancing human creativity, but can never replace it,” the company noted. “Our goal was to create an authentic story celebrating Team USA.”
However, the backlash escalated, with critics accusing Google of promoting automation over authenticity, especially concerning children’s creative processes.
AI ads spark creative industry debate
Google is not alone in facing criticism for advertisements that appear to endorse AI’s encroachment into creative domains. Earlier this year, Apple faced a similar backlash after releasing an ad where a hydraulic press crushed musical instruments and paint cans to unveil the new iPad Pro. The tech giant eventually apologised and pulled the ad from television.
The debate over AI’s role in creative industries is intensifying, especially as AI models like Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT continue to be trained on vast amounts of original creative work. OpenAI’s technology chief, Mira Murati, recently acknowledged that AI could displace some creative jobs but argued that some of those roles “should not have existed in the first place.” This sentiment has sparked further controversy, particularly in Hollywood, where actors and unions have pushed back, notably after Scarlett Johansson accused OpenAI of misusing her voice for its new ChatGPT AI voice named ‘Sky’.
First Published: Aug 05 2024 | 1:21 PM IS