Google Pulls Gemini ‘Dear Sydney’ Ad For The 2024 Olympics Following Backlash Regarding AI

Google has pulled a recent 2024 Olympics ad after being accused of promoting the use of AI technology in place of creativity.

In an ad titled “Dear Sydney,” a father narrates his journey to using the platform to help his daughter write a letter to U.S. hurdler and sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who just so happens to be her favorite athlete and inspiration, CNBC reports.

While Google maintains that its AI chatbot Gemini is used solely to enhance or even jumpstart its users’ creativity , many social media users dragged the company following the ad’s airing, citing that it promotes too heavy a reliance on technology.

“We believe that AI can be a great tool for enhancing human creativity, but can never replace it,” said a spokesperson for Google in an official statement following the incident, per CNBC. “Our goal was to create an authentic story celebrating Team USA.”

Shelly Palmer, a professor of advanced media at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications, wrote a blog post in response to the ad, saying that the advertised technology presents “a monocultural future where we see fewer and fewer examples of original human thoughts.”

“I flatly reject the future that Google is advertising,” wrote Palmer in the blog post. “I want to live in a culturally diverse world where billions of individuals use AI to amplify their human skills, not in a world where we are used by AI pretending to be human. “

The reviews on the use of AI technology in creative spaces have been mixed. Some people lean toward Google’s sentiment that it enhances creativity. Others believe that the evolution of AI technology can threaten human jobs.

As AFROTECH™ previously reported, actor Samuel L. Jackson has been vocal about his disdain for the use of AI technology, even marking out any clauses in his contract that suggest his name, image, or likeness can be used without his consent in the future.

On July 31, 2024, U.S.  Senators Chris Coons (D-Delaware), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) introduced the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act of 2024, or the NO FAKES Act. The legislation would “protect the voice and visual likenesses of creators and individuals from the proliferation of digital replicas created without their consent.”

At this time, Google has pulled its “Dear Sydney” ad from television. However, it can still be viewed via YouTube.