3 disturbing things happened in AI this week — and you should pay attention to them

Overall, I’ve been pretty positive about generative AI so far in its relatively young history. I really like what Google has done with Magic Editor, like making your photos look their best. And I often turn to ChatGPT or Copilot for answers to common questions I would normally turn to Google for.

I’m also encouraged by Apple Intelligence. While it won’t be out until fall, the iOS 18 developer preview shows Apple is finally making Siri smarter while also saving us time with features like audio recording and transcription for notes and phone calls.

But there’s a darker side to AI that’s come to light this week—no, I’m not talking about hallucinations—that makes me very concerned about whether companies are thinking about it before they sprinkle AI pixie dust on everyone and everything. And it’s overzealous humans, not AI, that’s the problem.

August 2: Google has pulled the Google Gemini ad. Below is the company’s statement.

Google Gemini Olympics Ad Disaster

Screenshot of Google Gemini advert aired during the Olympic Games

(Photo source: Google)

How do you make an ad go from heartwarming to borderline terrifying? Google showed us the way with its Gemini Olympics ad, which has already been widely criticized for favoring algorithms over human connection.

In the ad (which has comments disabled on YouTube), we see a father using AI to help his daughter get a head start on her training to become a great hurdler. At first, it seems harmless enough, but then the father turns to Gemini to help his daughter write a letter to Olympian Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

Google + Team USA – Dear Sydney – YouTube

Be careful

The father explains that he is “pretty good with words,” but he wants the fan letter to be “just right.” That’s a huge insult to the daughter, who should be writing the letter in her own words. It’s not something that has to be just right; it just has to come from the heart.

In this case, Gemini isn’t just a support for creativity, they’re simply sucking the humanity out of the room.

Google initially released the following statement: “Our goal was to create an authentic story celebrating Team USA. It features a real-life track enthusiast and her father, and the goal is to show how the Gemini app can be a starting point, a thought starter, or an early draft for someone looking for ideas for their writing.”

Now I could see father helped itself as a starting point, but I don’t think AI should be helpful in a case like that.

Thankfully, Google pulled the ad after a huge backlash, telling The Hollywood Reporter that, “While the ad tested well before it aired, based on the feedback, we’ve decided to pull it from our Olympic rotation.” I’d love to meet those testers.

Create your AI version with Instagram!

AI Studio Screenshot

(Photo source: Meta)

You may not have noticed, but Meta shut down its celebrity AI chatbots this week. And I wouldn’t blame you, because it looks like no one was using them.

Seriously, why would I want to talk to an AI version of Tom Brady or Paris Hilton? They’re not. But don’t worry. The meta has already moved on to AI Studio, which lets creators customize AI avatars of themselves to answer fan questions. The feature works with Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and the web.

The goal is to allow creators and business owners to communicate with their followers on their behalf. In a blog post, Meta says AI Studio can help creators build “extensions of themselves to reach more fans.”

Some of the AI characters created so far seem to be helpful in some way. For example, chef Marc Murphy created the AI Eat Like You Live There!, which offers personalized tips on how to enjoy local cuisine while traveling.

But overall, there seems to be something very hollow about using an AI avatar of yourself to engage fans. What’s next, fake fans engaging fake creators?

Meet your next friend

Friend AI device in use

(Photo source: Friend)

The year 2024 will be remembered as the year of the AI hardware disaster, with poster children like the useless Rabbit R1 and the Humane AI Pin. But that’s not stopping 21-year-old entrepreneur Avi Schiffman from jumping on the bandwagon.

To be fair, the Friend is a $99 device that isn’t designed to help you be more productive — unlike the gadgets above, which are already headed to the AI graveyard. This always-listening Bluetooth pendant is meant to be a companion.

Friend Reveal Trailer – YouTube
Friend Reveal Trailer - YouTube

Be careful

“Productivity is over, nobody cares,” Schiffmann told Wired. “Nobody can beat Apple or OpenAI or all these companies that are building Jarvis. The most important things in your life are people.”

Let’s ignore for a moment the fact that a Friend is not a person. Actually, let’s not do that.

Yes, there are a lot of lonely people in the world, and something like Friend could help. But there’s a huge difference between technology helping us find company and completely replacing it and replacing people.

Friend is meant to encourage, send positive affirmations after you “rocked” a meeting, or comfort you after a friend beats you in a game. The founder promises the company won’t keep audio recordings or transcripts.

But I am very concerned that we are going down the wrong path with AI gadgets like this. Have we forgotten that our reliance on and addiction to technology has been a catalyst for loneliness and depression for millions?

Don’t worry. As Schiffmann told The Verge, “I don’t think that should be the only person you should talk to.”