Google's Olympic ad fail "Dear Sydney" hit a nerve by suggesting AI can express thoughts and emotions for a child. That understandably makes a lot of people -- myself included -- uncomfortable.
But it wasn't the only AI ad that ran during the Olympics. Google had others. Meta did, too. Adobe and Samsung are also among the companies that have been spending big on AI advertising in the last year.
Big Tech has its work cut out if it's going to reshape our perception of AI. An April report from research firm YouGov found most Americans describe their feelings as "cautious." As they try to stake a claim in an AI market projected to hit $1.3 trillion by 2032, these companies are leaning on large-scale moments like the Olympics to hammer home their value propositions: AI is friendly, AI is helpful and AI is the future, whether we like it or not.
Are we buying it?
Google says Dear Sydney was meant to show how its Gemini chatbot can provide a starting point for writing. But companies like Google have bigger ambitions: They're trying to sell us on AI by giving it a consumer-friendly spin. (Only Google and Meta provided comments for this story.)
In the ads that aired during the Olympics, AI has been positioned as both an easy-to-use helper and an empowering friend. The ads are fast and exciting -- or tap into familiar elements to make us feel comfortable. And they have celebrities! So how bad could AI be, really? Or at least that's the pitch.
In most cases, it's pretty heavy-handed. But these are brands trying to introduce new products to a mainstream audience. Subtlety is not an option.
An AI utopia
The point of advertising is to influence behavior. Sometimes it's to get you to buy a product. Other times -- as appears to be the case here -- the goal is to generate awareness and foster loyalty.
The AI ads I've seen so far put a heavy stress on utility by cycling through AI-enabled functionality, like the ability to create recipes, summarize emails and answer questions about the relationship between thunder and lightning.
Each person who interacts with AI in these scenarios is amazed. We hear, "Wow," over and over.
There are no hallucinations or existential threats.
The brands behind these ads want to gently reshape our opinions about AI and not only make us feel less apprehensive, but curious. And they want to make their AI look like the best AI so theirs is the one we try. (See CNET's AI Atlas for our collection of unbiased, rated reviews of many popular AI tools and services.)
An AI ad strategy (or two)
Google and Meta have advantages in that their chatbots are integrated into products we use frequently, like AI Overviews in Google's search engine results and Meta AI on Facebook and Instagram.
But they're making different pitches to America.
Google is really trying to make a splash. Its initial Welcome to Gemini ad is like the chatbot's coming out party, but it's more like a frat party -- a debutante ball for AI DJed by Pitbull. It's loud, it's fast -- and it's trying to generate FOMO.
Meta, on the other hand, feels almost like a political candidate speaking to undecided voters about good, clean, pure, classic, American values. It doesn't have any skeletons in the closet. It's the one you can trust!
Here's a closer look at these tactics:
Google: A trendy AI
The name Welcome to the Gemini Era points to inevitability, as if Google is subtly (or not) telling us we can't beat 'em, so we might as well join 'em.
The flashy, high-energy spot quickly cycles through AI features, which can draw kersplooshes and get you a quote for a roof leak. The cuts between scenes are fast. They're almost too fast to discern what exactly we're seeing as the features fly by in a blur.
Sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson shows up to use Google Pixel's Circle to Search tool -- an AI-powered feature also found in Samsung phones including the new Flip 6 and Fold 6 -- to find a pair of pink boots. Google is also working with basketball player Kelsey Plum, breakdancer Victor Montalvo and comedian Leslie Jones. This celebrity firepower positions Google's AI offering as what you want to have if you're going to keep up with the Joneses.
It's meant to grab your attention. And Google put a lot behind it. According to TV ad measurement platform iSpot.tv, the ad aired on broadcast TV nearly 2,000 times between June 6 and July 26 with an estimated budget of $7 million. That doesn't include streaming. (Data on streaming was not immediately available.)
Meta: An accessible AI
Another ad in heavy rotation during the Olympics is Expand Your World with Meta AI.
Here, we have a more understated tone, with everyday people using Meta AI to solve problems like what to make for dinner or how to stay entertained on a long car ride.
Along the way, we see the Meta AI interface, as well as some camera-based functionality in Ray-Ban glasses, which can look inside your refrigerator to come up with a recipe.
"Wow! It's amazing," a child says of the treehouse her dad built with help from Meta AI.
It's very homespun, and it feels like Meta is appealing to Middle America -- or at least not to first adopters. They want us to believe Meta AI is a more accessible AI, and Meta sort of has a point given it's right there in Facebook and Instagram already.
In an email statement, Josh Ginsberg, vice president of corporate marketing at Meta, said the platform hopes to reach people interested in AI who could benefit from using Meta AI. That doesn't tell us much.
The "Expand Your World" tagline is more revealing. It makes me think of 1969 and the moon landing and this promise of a future somewhere out in the great beyond.
"It starts with an empty prompt that takes you as far as you want to go," a voiceover says toward the end of the ad.
Here's the kicker: The Expand Your World spot aired more than 7,500 times on broadcast TV between June 14 and July 31, according to iSpot.tv. That's nearly quadruple the number of times the Gemini ad aired. (Again, that doesn't include streaming.)
Microsoft: An AI friend
Microsoft Copilot's Olympics spot, Reimagine What's Possible, may be less visible, but it's another example of recent AI advertising.
It embraces an underdog feel as a diverse group of people try to accomplish their athletic goals in the face of critics.
"Watch me," we see in the middle of the screen as a pregnant woman prepares to lift weights -- after getting her doctor's blessing, of course.
The message is clear: Copilot is a sidekick that can help you pursue your dreams. It speaks to anyone who has ever felt like they didn't totally fit in and who really just wants to be seen and heard.
Even the tagline is, "Your Everyday AI Companion." This AI isn't going to take your job or end humanity. It's a friend.
Samsung is big on empowerment in its AI messaging, too. It makes each of us a main character as it tells us, "The Next Big Thing is You." The takeaway here is AI isn't something to fear, it enhances us. In a spot by the same name, a young man who has moved to a new country uses Galaxy AI's translation features to forge relationships. How can AI possibly be bad if it helps you make friends?
An AI ad opinion
Hear me out: I covered advertising for 15 years, so I allegedly know what I'm talking about.
I used to hate the Liberty Mutual ads with the emu. His sidekick Doug in particular annoys me. But then I realized, I could say, "Only pay for what you need! Liberty, Liberty, Liiiberty, Liberty," by heart. The whole shtick is genius.
That's the power of slogans. But taglines aren't necessarily meant to tell the truth. They're meant to shape our opinions and get stuck in our brains, so the next time I'm in the market for car insurance, Liberty Mutual is top of mind.
Google's Jay-Z ad has certainly done that for Gemini. And I'd argue AI ads as a whole have been successful in grabbing attention -- even if it's by sheer repetition.
They make the case that AI can be helpful and it's the technology of the future, so we're going to have to accept it someday. That may very well breed curiosity, which is a win for them.
Maybe even the star power is working for Google.
But there's a heavy gloss in messaging that positions AI as our friend. It feels a little like getting a marriage proposal on a first date.
Americans are still apprehensive about AI. They may be willing to give it a shot someday -- after all, AI is the future -- but we're not there yet.
Dear Sydney flopped in part because Google overestimated how comfortable we are with chatbots and what we're willing to cede to them. The visceral reaction that followed proved there's still a gulf between what tech companies think we'll do with AI and what we're actually willing to do.