XPost: comp.internet.services.google, comp.os.linux.advocacy, al   
   .activism.children   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns, sac.politics   
   From: yourdime@outlook.com   
      
   Apparently using Google Gemini to write a fan letter in the voice of a   
   little girl doesn't sit well with people.   
      
   Google has pulled its "Dear Sydney" ad after major backlash that   
   criticized Google for misjudging how much the public values genuine human   
   expression.   
      
   The ad features a father using the Google Gemini chatbot to help his   
   daughter write a fan letter to Olympic track and field star Sydney   
   McLaughlin-Levrone. "I'm pretty good with words," says the father, "but   
   this has to be just right." Cue Gemini, and a fan letter written entirely   
   by a bot that, being a bot, can't possibly understand concepts like   
   admiration, inspiration, or just the experience of being a human child.   
      
   "We believe that AI can be a great tool for enhancing human creativity,   
   but can never replace it," said a Google spokesperson in a statement to   
   Mashable. "Our goal was to create an authentic story celebrating Team USA.   
   It showcases a real-life track enthusiast and her father, and aims to show   
   how the Gemini app can provide a starting point, thought starter, or early   
   draft for someone looking for ideas for their writing."   
      
   But given the negative reaction online, Google missed the mark. The ad's   
   message is offset by a recurrent theme in the generative AI era: companies   
   have eagerly adopted generative AI in the hopes of attracting users. But   
   in a classic case of a tech solution in search of a problem, they've   
   sometimes repulsed consumers, and have struggled to find applications that   
   prove genuinely useful. Earlier this week Meta scrapped its celebrity AI   
   personas, while Taco Bell has expanded its AI voice automated ordering   
   system despite McDonald's failings with a similar experience.   
      
   Even if Gemini nailed the tone and successfully mimicked the tone and age-   
   appropriate literacy of the little girl, people online were horrified by   
   the premise of using AI to write a fan letter. "It is one of the most   
   disturbing commercials I’ve ever seen," posted Shelly Palmer, professor of   
   advanced media at Syracuse University Newhouse School. "This is exactly   
   what we do not want anyone to do with AI. Ever."   
      
   https://mashable.com/article/google-pulls-dear-sydney-gemini-ai-ad-after-   
   online-backlas   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)