‘I’m a little scared’: Microsoft and Google miss the Olympic spirit with their AI ads

The Olympics may seem like a no-brainer for advertisers: they have the opportunity to be part of a brand-safe, culturally ubiquitous event with huge reach across all demographics. Yet sometimes they still get it a little wrong.

In the United States, Google and Microsoft have seized the opportunity to make the world’s premier sporting event, the pinnacle of all that humanity can aspire to, a platform to talk about generative AI.

Google’s ad may have been more at fault than Microsoft’s. The search giant aired its new ad, a continuation of the campaign it launched during this year’s Super Bowl, during the opening ceremony. It showed how American hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone inspired a young girl to take up the sport and one day break her world record.

So far, it’s the Olympics.

However, while the girl’s passion for the sport is palpable, she doesn’t seem to be able to tell McLaughlin-Levrone. Luckily, Google’s Gemini AI is there!

Battery reported that the ad was “conceived and produced in-house” — which probably shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Google’s “Dear Sydney” commercial has left many in the advertising community questioning its very concept.

Lola Bakare, a marketing consultant, author, inclusive marketing strategist and speaker at Cannes in Cairns, said she was “a little scared of advertising”.

“Was anyone else bothered by the “Help My Daughter Write a Fan Letter” ad???,” she posted on LinkedIn.

“Isn’t the magic that the child writes the fan letter himself?

“Isn’t it heartwarming to hear a father working with Gemini AI to write a fan letter behind his daughter’s back?

“I’m a little scared to be honest lol.”

Shelly Palmer, a professor of advanced media at Syracuse University in the US, said the advert made her “want to scream”.

He wrote on his website“This is one of the most disturbing ads I’ve ever seen. To be clear, I love the idea of ​​a young aspiring athlete being inspired by an Olympian. It’s brilliant.”

“But after the show, the father decides that instead of coaching his daughter to express herself honestly and then helping her use her own words, he will write the following message in Gemini: ‘Help my daughter write a letter telling Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone how inspiring she is and don’t forget to mention that my daughter plans to break her world record…someday. (She says sorry, not sorry.)’

“This is exactly what we don’t want anyone to do with AI. Ever.”

B&T has contacted Google about its plans for serving the ad.

However, Google wasn’t the only Silicon Valley company to seize the peak of human determination as an opportunity to promote its AI.

In its ad, Microsoft focuses on the stories of underprivileged athletes, from an elderly runner to a pregnant weightlifter to a surf club in an unnamed but presumably African country. While “they say” that these athletes can’t do what they love, they respond in kind with “look at me.”

Again, this all sounds a lot like the Olympics.

Then, with a drum roll, Copilot for Microsoft 365 kicks in, delivering generative artificial intelligence to help improve their performance and give them the tools they need to get more support.

For example, one athlete asks Copilot to analyze their heart rate data and provide them with insights. Another asks Copilot to create a presentation to raise funds for the surf club. Copilot can even share notes from a call between a doctor and a coach.

The ad ends with “You have given power.”

The ad was developed by Panay Films for Microsoft.

“The Olympics fit our message better because they are full of dreamers,” said Brian Klugman, creative director at Panay Films. Age of the ad.

“How do you make a spot on [AI] “Technology? You’re doing a spot about people using technology,” he added.

He warned, however, that it was an “additional tool” for people.

There was certainly less anger over Microsoft’s ad than over Google’s.

You’ll notice that neither ad directly references the Olympics or Olympic athletes. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is known for its extremely strict rules about what ads can and cannot reference about its competitors.

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