Google's ‘Dear Sydney’ ad pulled after public outcry

Google has decided to withdraw its contentious ‘Dear Sydney’ Olympics advertisement after receiving significant criticism. The ad, which aired during Olympic coverage, featured a father using the AI app Gemini to write a fan letter to his daughter's idol, US track star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Instead of the daughter crafting a heartfelt message, the AI handles it, prompting backlash for missing the genuine, personal touch of such letters.

The internet responded negatively, with many criticizing the ad for undermining the sincerity of fan letters, which are meant to convey personal, heartfelt messages. Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri even expressed strong disdain, while others noted that the ad promotes avoiding personal effort in favor of easy shortcuts.

Google, in response, acknowledged the criticism but clarified that the ad's intent was to demonstrate how Gemini could assist in generating ideas or drafts, not replace human effort entirely.