Google Says AI Olympics Ad ‘Tested Well’ Before Inspiring Outrage

Google’s attempt to funnel Olympics excitement into its chatbot, Gemini, “tested well before airing,” the company said. Upon its debut, however, the ad repelled viewers by making artificial intelligence seem like a weak substitute for parenting and human creativity.

The negative response to “Dear Sydney,” which features a dad using Gemini to help his daughter write a fan letter, was so great that it drove Google to phase it out of TV rotation.

“Our goal was to create an authentic story celebrating Team USA,” the tech giant said in a statement, adding, “AI can be a great tool for enhancing human creativity, but can never replace it.” Still, Google pulled the add from its Olympics rotation. It remains on YouTube, with the comments feature turned off.

Google’s ad centers on a dad (narrator) and his daughter. She’s “always been a runner” and looks up to American hurdler and sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. So, she wants to “show Sydney some love” by sending some fan mail.

Dad explains, “I’m pretty good with words, but this has to be just right.” Then, the paternal voice asks Gemini to help draft a fan letter to McLaughlin-Levrone. “Who’s That Girl” by Eve cuts in (Eve’s publisher, Universal Music Group, did not immediately respond a request for comment on the matter). Then, a sparkle graphic twirls and Google’s chatbot generates a draft. The ad ends with the tagline, “A little help from Gemini.”

It was not well received. “This commercial showing somebody having a child use AI to write a fan letter to her hero SUCKS,” wrote NPR’s pop-culture podcast host Linda Holmes on social media site BlueSky. “I’m just so grossed out by the entire thing,” she said. A Washington Post columnist said it made her want to “throw a sledgehammer into the television.” The also ad drew criticism from Reddit’s Daddit group, where some users described it as “gross” and “inhuman.”

Shelly Palmer, professor of advanced media at Syracuse University’s communications school, argued in an essay that the ad exaggerates Gemini’s capabilities and sends the wrong message to parents. “Google would have us believe that this young girl doesn’t need to learn to articulate and describe her reality,” Palmer wrote. “This is criminally negligent.”

The ad also appeared on Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s Instagram a week ago. “Do you really want to receive an ai generated letter?,” one user asked. Some commenters responded more positively. “This one made me teary,” a user said. “[N]obody better to look up to,” another replied. Still, Google pulled the ad.

Another tech giant’s ad also recently fell flat. Apple inspired some outrage in May while attempting to extol tech’s role in facilitating human creativity. The company’s “Crush” ad starred an industrial crusher that slowly smashes a collection of creative objects — including numerous paint buckets, a piano, several books, and a sculpture. As the crusher lifts, it chillingly leaves an iPad behind in the objects’ wake.