Google is phasing out an Olympics ad for its AI-powered chatbot, Gemini, following widespread criticism of showing a father using AI to help his daughter write a fan letter to her favorite athlete, Olympic track star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. The 60-second commercial, still available on YouTube, depicts a father using Gemini to craft a letter to McLaughlin-Levrone on his daughter’s behalf, seeking to express her admiration. Despite initially positive testing, Google decided to remove the ad from its Olympics rotation in response to feedback. The company’s goal was to showcase AI as a tool to enhance human creativity, not replace it entirely. The backlash against the ad underscores larger discussions about the role of AI in creative processes and concerns about its impact on human expression. Critics like Linda Holmes and Shelley Palmer have highlighted the potential risks of relying on AI for tasks that involve personal, emotional, or creative elements, raising questions about the ethics and implications of using technology in these contexts.
