Google Pulls Controversial Ad After Negative Viewer Feedback
- Google pulls its Gemini AI ad after criticism from Olympics viewers.
- The “Dear Sydney” ad was accused of promoting AI over personal creativity.
- Negative feedback led Google to remove the ad from its Olympics rotation.
Google has decided to pull its “Dear Sydney” advertisement for its Gemini artificial intelligence after facing significant backlash from viewers. The ad featured a father using Gemini AI to write a fan letter from his daughter to Olympic hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. While the commercial was intended to showcase the capabilities of Gemini AI, it received criticism for suggesting that children should depend on AI for expressing their feelings rather than developing their own communication skills.
The ad, which initially tested well, drew ire on social media where critics argued that it implied a future where human creativity is diminished by AI. Some saw it as a troubling sign that AI could replace genuine human expression. Media professor Shelly Palmer and author Linda Holmes were among those who criticized the commercial, questioning the value of AI-generated personal messages.
In response to the feedback, Google has chosen to phase out the ad from its Olympics advertising rotation. This move reflects a broader concern about the role of AI in creative fields, similar to an earlier misstep by Apple with a commercial that faced criticism for replacing traditional creative tools with an iPad.