The recent Gemini AI advertisement for the Paris Olympics 2024, aired in the United States, has reportedly been removed following backlash online. Google addressed the public's feedback, leading to the removal of the ad while attempting to uphold the idea behind it. The commercial faced significant criticism for minimizing human emotions and replacing them with artificial intelligence. It is worth noting that Google is also the official "Search AI Partner" of Team USA for the event.
This advertisement, lasting 60 seconds, starts with a father's narration about his daughter being a fan of US track athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. The daughter expresses her ambition to break the athlete's record and wants to write a letter to McLaughlin-Levrone. The narrative twist reveals that the father's message is actually a prompt for the Gemini AI. The ad concludes with the AI generating a fan letter based on this prompt.
After its airing on July 26, the advertisement swiftly faced criticism from users on various social media channels. Many people questioned the value of sending a letter that was not personally written. Others highlighted the ad's insensitivity, suggesting it diminishes "human connections".
In response to the negative feedback, Google took down the ad and issued a statement to Variety. The company explained that despite the positive reception during initial testing, the negative public response led to its decision to remove the advertisement from their Olympics rotation.
Despite removing the ad, Google defended its conceptual foundation, which was developed by the company's internal creative team. The tech giant emphasized that while AI can enhance human creativity, it should not replace it. The goal, they stated, was to craft an authentic story celebrating Team USA. The ad features a real-life track enthusiast and her father, aiming to illustrate how the Gemini app can serve as a foundation, inspiration, or preliminary draft for those seeking ideas for their writing.