Google’s AI Olympics Ad Faces Backlash but Is a Hit With Viewers [Video]

An Olympics ad from Google depicting a father using its Gemini AI assistant to help his daughter compose a letter to her favorite athlete has drawn sharp criticism from online commentators. However, data provided exclusively to Business Insider suggests the spot is actually one of the better-performing ads of the Paris Olympics so far.

Google’s “Dear Sydney” spot first aired on TV during the broadcast of the opening ceremony on July 24 and is also available on YouTube. The ad is narrated by the father, who explains his daughter’s ambitions to become a hurdler, following in the footsteps of Team USA’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. He asks Google Gemini to generate a letter to McLaughlin-Levrone, telling her how inspiring she is; and the AI assistant duly obliges. Google is an official sponsor of Team USA.