Google's failed Olympic ad, “Dear Sydney,” struck a nerve by suggesting that an AI could express the thoughts and feelings of a child, and understandably many people, including me, are uneasy.
But this isn't the only AI ad to air during the Olympics. Google has aired other ads, as has Meta. Adobe and Samsung are among the companies that have spent heavily on AI ads in the last year.
Big Tech faces a daunting task if it wants to change our perception of AI: A majority of Americans describe their feelings as “cautious,” according to an April report from research firm YouGov. Hoping to carve out a position in an AI market projected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2032, these companies are using big occasions like the Olympics to hammer home their value proposition: AI is friendly, AI is helpful, and AI is the future, whether we like it or not.
Will you buy it?
Google says Dear Sydney is meant to show how its Gemini chatbot can be a starting point for texting. But companies like Google have bigger ambitions: They're trying to sell AI by making it consumer-friendly. (Only Google and Meta commented on this article.)
Advertisements aired during the Olympics positioned AI as both an easy-to-use helper and an empowering friend. They were fast, exciting, or used familiar elements to put us at ease. And they featured celebrities. How bad could AI really be? At least, that's the sales pitch.
In most cases, that's pretty heavy-handed. But these are brands trying to introduce new products to a mainstream customer base. Subtlety is not an option.
AI Utopia
The goal of advertising is to influence behavior – sometimes to get people to buy a product, and sometimes, as in this case, to raise awareness and foster loyalty.
The AI ads we’ve seen so far have focused on utility by rotating through AI-enabled features like creating recipes, summarizing emails, or answering questions about the relationship between thunder and lightning.
Anyone interacting with AI in these scenarios is amazed; we hear “wow” over and over again.
There are no hallucinations or existential threats.
The brands behind these ads want to gently change our opinions about AI, easing our fears but also sparking our curiosity. And they want to make their AI look like the best so we’ll try it out. (For a collection of unbiased, rated reviews of many popular AI tools and services, check out CNET’s AI Atlas.)
AI advertising strategies (one or two)
The advantage for Google and Meta is that chatbots are integrated into products we use frequently, such as AI Overviews for Google’s search engine results and Meta AI for Facebook and Instagram.
But they have a different proposal for America.
Google is really trying to grab attention. Its first Welcome to Gemini ad feels like a chatbot debut party, but more like a sorority party—an AI debut ball with Pitbull as DJ: loud, fast-paced, and designed to generate FOMO.
Meta, on the other hand, is like a political candidate speaking to undecided voters about good, clean, pure, classic American values. Meta has nothing to hide. You can trust him!
Let's take a closer look at these tactics.
Google: Trending AI
The name “Welcome to the Age of Gemini” suggests an inevitability, as if Google is subtly (or not) telling us that we can’t beat them, and we’d better join them.
The spot is flashy and energetic, as the AI features one after another, from eliciting cheers from the audience to providing estimates for a leaking roof, and the scenes cut quickly together — so quickly that it's hard to tell what exactly we're looking at as the features blur by.
Sprinter Shakyari Richardson showed up to find her pink boots using the Google Pixel's Circle to Search tool, an AI-powered feature also available on Samsung phones like the new Flip 6 and Fold 6. Google is also working with basketball player Kelsey Plum, breakdancer Victor Montalvo and comedian Leslie Jones, whose celebrity power has positioned Google's AI services as must-haves for anyone trying to keep up with Jones.
It was an attention grabber, and Google put a lot of effort into it: The ad aired nearly 2,000 times on TV between June 6 and July 26, with an estimated budget of $7 million, according to TV ad measurement platform iSpot.tv, and that doesn't include streaming (streaming data wasn't immediately available).
Meta: Accessible AI
Another ad that aired frequently during the Olympics was “Expand your world with Meta AI.”
Here, the tone is more subdued, with ordinary people using Meta AI to solve problems like what to make for dinner or how to entertain themselves during a long drive.
Along the way, we also got a look at the Meta AI interface and the camera-based features of Ray-Ban glasses that can look inside your fridge and come up with recipes.
“Wow! That's amazing,” a child says of the treehouse his dad built with the help of Meta AI.
It feels very basic and like Meta is appealing to middle-class Americans, at least not to first-time adopters. Meta is trying to convince us that Meta AI is easier to use, which makes sense, since Meta is already on Facebook and Instagram.
In an emailed statement, Josh Ginsburg, vice president of corporate marketing at Meta, said the platform hopes to reach people interested in AI who could benefit from using Meta AI.
The tagline “Expand your world” is more meaningful, recalling the 1969 moon landing and the promise of a future somewhere far, far away.
“It starts with a blank prompt and takes you wherever you want,” a narrator says toward the end of the ad.
Notably, according to iSpot.tv, the “Expand Your World” spots aired more than 7,500 times on broadcast television between June 14 and July 31 — nearly four times as many times as Gemini's ads aired (again, this doesn't include streaming).
Microsoft: Your AI Friend
Microsoft Copilot's Olympics spot, “Reimagine What's Possible,” is another recent example of AI advertising, though it may be less obvious.
It's a story of underdog mentality as diverse individuals try to achieve their sporting goals in the face of critics.
“Look,” the voice says, as a pregnant woman appears in the middle of the screen, getting ready to lift weights — with her doctor's permission, of course.
The message is clear: Copilot is your companion to help you achieve your dreams. This app resonates with anyone who feels like they don't fit in completely and just wants to be seen and heard.
The tagline is “Your Everyday AI Companion.” This AI won't take your job or destroy humanity. It's just a friend.
Samsung also emphasizes empowerment with its AI messaging, telling us, “You are the next big thing,” putting each of us as the protagonist. The takeaway here is that AI isn't something to be feared, but rather empowers us. In the spot of the same name, a young man who moves to a new country uses the translation feature of his Galaxy AI to build relationships. If AI can help you make friends, then it can't be a bad thing.
AI Ad Opinion
Listen, I've been covering the advertising industry for 15 years, so I know what I'm talking about.
I used to hate Liberty Mutual's ads with the emu – his buddy Doug especially annoys me – but then I realized I could recite “Pay only for what you need. Liberty, Liberty, Liberty, Liberty” – the technique is genius.
That's the power of a slogan. But taglines aren't always meant to convey truth; they're meant to shape our opinions and imprint themselves on our brains. So the next time you shop for car insurance, Liberty Mutual is the first company that comes to mind.
Google’s Jay-Z ad certainly played a role in Gemini, and I would argue that AI ads as a whole are successful in capturing attention, even if they are merely repetitive.
They argue that AI is useful, that it's the technology of the future, and that at some point we'll have no choice but to embrace it. That will likely generate curiosity, which is a win for them.
Maybe star power helps Google, too.
But the messaging has a strong voice that positions the AI as a friend, making it feel like a marriage proposal on a first date.
Americans are still nervous about AI. They might be willing to try it one day — it's the future, after all — but they're not there yet.
One of the reasons Dear Sydney failed is that Google overestimated how used to chatbots we would be and what we would be willing to concede to them. The ensuing furious reaction proved that there is still a huge gap between what tech companies think we will do with AI and what we actually want to do.
