In an effort to drive artificial intelligence (AI) innovation forward, Google seemingly never expected its push for Gemini AI to become a heated topic for debate when it ran its commercial during the 2024 Olympics.
With millions of eyes watching this summer’s Olympics, Google purchased a prominent commercial ad spot to highlight its AI technology’s capabilities. However, the advertisement didn’t go as anticipated and instead caused uproar among viewers.
Key Takeaways
- Quickly Withdrew: Google decided to withdraw its recent Olympics Gemini AI commercial after facing a wave of criticism from viewers, sparking continued debate over concerns related to privacy, ethics, and how AI was portrayed in the commercial.
- Critics Voiced Their Concern: AI critics were quick to voice their concerns such as questions about data security, consent, and the potential misuse of AI technologies. These concerns have been prevalent and persisting issues that continue to surface time and time again, although this time was in a much more prominent way amid the year’s most watched event.
- Privacy Invasion: Viewers were quick to note the idea of AI systems monitoring and interacting with athletes and audiences felt intrusive and an invasion of personal privacy. Additionally, critics stated that the use of AI in the commercial seemed overly idealistic and fake.
Chelsea Alves, a consultant with UNMiss, shared, “It’s essential for companies with strong voices, such as Google, to continue to tread lightly with AI advertisement and encouraging its usage. The backlash Google received from angered Olympics watchers is a stark reminder of the continued fear and grey area around AI’s ethics, responsible development, and potential use cases. Companies must consider these repercussions and continue to think through how to effectively promote AI to assuage these concerns.”
Google didn’t take the concerns Olympics viewers expressed regarding its AI commercial lightly, issuing an official apology acknowledging the concerns and noting its commitment to the ethical development of AI technology.
A Google spokesperson said, “We value the feedback from our community and take concerns about AI very seriously. Our intention with the Gemini AI commercial was to highlight the positive potential of AI in enhancing the Olympic experience.
“However, we understand that the commercial did not fully address the complexities and responsibilities associated with AI technology. We are taking immediate steps to withdraw the commercial and engage in a broader dialogue about AI ethics and transparency.”
After pulling the AI commercial Google said it plans to convene a series of public forums and expert panels to discuss the ethical implications of AI in sports and other industries. This will include providing more detailed information about how AI systems are designed, tested, and implemented, as well as the safeguards in place to protect user privacy and ensure ethical use.
