Google and Apple's AI ad fiascos show people still believe in the human over the machine

People just didn't like seeing AI indulge in creative pursuits.  

There are ads created using artificial intelligence (AI) and ads that depict AI performing everyday tasks and producing creative work. This concerns the latter and how viewers are increasingly annoyed by and opposed to such communication.

Last week, Google pulled its ad for the Paris Olympics that showed a father using the tech giant’s generative AI called Gemini to write a letter to his daughter’s idol, track athlete Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

The ad generated a lot of backlash. People were not enthused to see generative AI writing a “heartfelt” letter on behalf of the little girl. Instead, they saw it as a cold piece of technology encroaching on a cherished skill—writing. It also highlighted the evolving nature of people’s relationship with technology.

"The father in the video is not encouraging his daughter to learn to express herself. Instead of guiding her to use her own words and communicate authentically, he is teaching her to rely on AI for this critical human skill... Google should be ashamed of this messaging," wrote Shelly Palmer, professor of advanced media at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, in a blog post.

“We believe that AI can be a great tool for enhancing human creativity, but can never replace it,” Google, as per multiple media reports, responded to the widespread criticism of its ad in a statement.

Despite all the commotion over Gen AI and its promises of making things easier, most people still harbour some level of squeamishness towards it. They perceive it as an alien force that will gradually intrude upon human lives and take over (thanks to Hollywood movies for shaping our imagination).

Nobody likes change.

Also, people remember the tens of thousands of executives who lost their jobs at technology giants Google and Meta (who're participants in the GenAI race) over the past two years. No one likes to be laid off or to read about or watch others' job miseries.

All these aspects shape one’s thoughts and perspectives on and around a technology that is evolving at a pace so rapid that only a few people can keep up, albeit for a limited time.

Apple’s Crush ad from April 2024, which showed technology commandeering not complementing human creativity, also faced widespread criticism.

The response to both campaigns is an early example of how viewers perceive ads that depict tech in action and AI performing human tasks. But, it most likely will not dissuade consumers of the two brands

We asked creative leaders whether showcasing tech and AI in ads will put off viewers.

Edited Excerpts (names listed in alphabetical order of first name)

Amit Wadhwa, chief executive officer, Dentsu Creative

My honest belief is that AI is not a deterrent in an ad. 

The reaction to this particular ad is likely due to the fact that a letter from a daughter to her favourite athlete is inherently emotional and should come from the heart rather than being written by AI.

We are still engaging with people, whether through AI or its applications. How we use AI is crucial. Coca-Cola employed it brilliantly; Nike and tennis star Serena Williams used it creatively. We are merely scratching the surface and will discover more effective ways to use it as we progress. There will be some interesting ways and some drab ways of using AI.

Binaifer Dulani, founding partner and creative, Talented

In 1930, John Maynard Keynes famously predicted that developed markets of the time, such as Great Britain and the United States, would have achieved a fifteen-hour work week by the turn of the century. We’re far from that. Historically, technological advancement has always marshalled us to work more, not less.

In doing that, it has also given birth to more aspects of our jobs that are neither meaningful nor remotely fulfilling. It’s a visceral reaction when we see AI producing art or engaging in forms of creative expression because we don’t want to live in a world where AI creates and thinks, and we are reduced to ensuring the output plays end to end, and simply audit the work we had no role in influencing.

Brands like Google India have depicted AI as a tool to execute our vision, which has been well received giving us insight into how we have mentally reconciled with AI - and the aspects of our lives we want and don’t want it to influence.

Santosh Padhi, chief creative officer, Wieden + Kennedy India

As an industry, we have been borrowing technology like Photoshop or CGI to make our ads better. But the moment it starts looking like it's a computer-generated image, I don't connect with it. When you use it correctly, it just enhances the storytelling.

The craft should never overshadow the core idea in communication. For instance, the filmmaking, the cinematography, direction, music, and cast should all complement the core idea.

When a friend writes me a birthday greeting, it carries far more emotion than when somebody sends me a phenomenal, glossy AI-generated happy birthday file. I don’t feel connected. I don't feel the friendship.

What this new animal (AI) has done is try to overpower and overshadow everything; it has entered our personal lives, our bedrooms, our friendships—everywhere. It's spoiling human relationships.