Google has pulled its controversial “Dear Sydney” advert following backlash that it made a mockery of human creativity and was tone-deaf to concerns around AI.
The company has pulled the ad from its Olympics TV rotation, though it remains available on YouTube with the comments turned off.
Find out more: I’m A Little Creeped Out”: Do Microsoft & Google’s AI Olympics Ads Fall Short?
The ad was developed in-house and was designed to promote Google’s Gemini AI platform as a support to human creativity. In the ad, a father wants to help his daughter write a letter to her Olympics hero, Team USA hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. However, rather than helping her, he elects to let Gemini write the whole thing.
It attracted some wide-ranging criticism from adland insiders. For instance, Lola Bakare, CMO advisor, author, inclusive marketing strategist and Cannes in Cairns keynote-r, said that she was a “little creeped out by the ad.”
“Was anyone else disturbed by the “help my daughter write a fan letter” commercial???” she posted on LinkedIn.
“Isn’t the whole magic that the kid actually writes the fan letter themselves?
“How is it heartwarming to hear a Dad work with Gemini AI to ghostwrite a fan letter behind his daughter’s back?
“I’m a little creeped out tbh lol.”
The ad received significant airplay during NBCU’s TV coverage in the US.
“While the ad tested well before airing, given the feedback, we’ve decided to phase the ad out of our Olympics rotation,” a Google spokesperson told Ad Age today.
Earlier this week, a Google spokesperson told B&T:
“We believe that AI can be a great tool for enhancing human creativity, but can never replace it. 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.”
