Humanity: 0
Google's catching some heat for its dehumanizing Olympics ad. It’s just one sign of the rising tension between technology and humanity.
As I write this, the Paris 2024 Olympics are in full swing. I’ll admit I haven’t seen much of the Summer Games, beyond a handful of moments. But I am professionally curious about the ways in which AI has been woven into the entire event.
Tech.co wrote about the International Olympic Committee’s forward-looking “AI agenda,” calling the games “the first AI Olympics.” Robotic training partners. Computer vision models to evaluate gymnastics routines and surveil the crowds for potential threats. A chatbot that uses artificial intelligence to make it easier for athletes to get important information about rules and other common questions. These games have it all. Last week, my partner in crime Geoff wrote about NBC’s plans for a deepfake Al Michaels that delivers personalized daily recaps to fans.
Intriguing, to say the least. But then, of course, there’s the controversy. (No, not that controversy.) I’m talking about Google’s “Dear Sydney” ad for Gemini. In the ad, which has been running during Olympics broadcasts, a dad uses Google’s AI assistant to crank out a fan letter to his daughter’s favorite athlete, Team USA hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
Dear Google…
The backlash has been swift and fierce.
AI turns the fan letter into a form letter. It replaces a little girl’s personal passion with a dad’s prompt engineering. It turns a moment for a parent to support his child’s interests and teach her about the power of self-expression into a technological transaction that strips away everything that would have made the moment meaningful and memorable.
It’s bad marketing that celebrates generative AI’s worst case scenario: a chatbot as an autopilot, not a copilot (sorry, Microsoft). It misses the point, as Fast Company writer Grace Snelling notes, that not everything needs an AI shortcut; that sometimes it’s the “doing” that matters the most. Snelling writes:
“Ultimately, AI is a tool: its morality is determined by how companies and individuals choose to use it. Marketers can take advantage of that by highlighting the technology’s practical applications rather than its hypothetical personal ones—which, in real life, aren’t exactly plentiful. Inserting AI tech into an emotional context almost always ends up feeling out of touch at best, and dystopian at worst.”
I often feel like the companies that sell generative AI don’t really know their market, its needs, or which problems are worth solving. Yes, there’s a strong case to be made for productivity, efficiency, and raising the bar — especially when it comes to the routine, rote, and repeatable drudgery that comes with virtually every business role.
But when AI companies hype generative AI’s ability to vanquish the dreaded “blank page” for writers, mimic real-world images for photographers, create 60-second cinematic masterpieces, replace entire professions, or — well — automate a teaching moment between a father and daughter or a personal interaction between a fan and a famous athlete? They miss the fact that for people (even business people!) the act of creation, the art of critical thinking, the spark of innovation, imagination, and invention, and the process itself are often part of what makes the work worthwhile.
I often say that in a world where anything that can be digital will be digital — where anything that can be automated will be automated — the things that remain irreplaceably human will set businesses apart. This has never been more true than it is today, as AI makes it easier than ever to automate just about anything we can imagine.
This doesn’t make AI or automation bad. It does make it more important than ever for all of us — as business leaders and individuals — to make smart, informed choices about where we draw the lines between technology and humanity.
Google’s “Dear Sydney” Olympics ad is just one example of how technology companies tend to draw those lines in the wrong place. And point to the importance for technology buyers and users to get the balance right.
Are ‘Friends’ Electric?
To be clear, the lines between technology and humanity are blurring. This isn’t necessarily bad either. But it’s certainly not all good.
Meta just announced that Instagram users can tap into AI to create digital doppelgangers (that’s a fancy way of saying “chatbots”) that can interact with other users on their behalf. On the one hand, this is what chatbots are meant to do. On the other, it calls into question the authenticity of any interaction between any two individuals online.
More problematic, a new company called Friend has just announced its flagship product: a wearable AI “friend” that’s “always listening” and — as the company claims — “not imaginary.” Yeah… it’s as bad as it sounds.
It’s no secret that our society is struggling through a loneliness epidemic. Or that loneliness has a real impact on organizations. Loneliness is linked to more burnout symptoms, lower job performance, and less job satisfaction. These all have real costs for employers. It doesn’t seem like fake friends are the answer — or even a reasonable replacement for human-to-human relationships.
In business, even industries that recognize the potential upside for AI question the dehumanizing downsides. For example, in healthcare, a recent Athenahealth/Harris Poll Physician Sentiment Survey found that 83% of doctors think AI could eventually fix many of the problems facing healthcare. But 60% of doctors worry about losing human touch when using AI.
When it comes to AI in organizations and industries, success lies in getting the benefits without losing the advantage of the human touch and the importance of getting the human factors right.
Getting Organizations Across the Finish Line
The integration of AI into organizations is inevitable. This undeniably presents tremendous opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and growth. However, the cautionary tale of Google’s “Dear Sydney” ad serves as a powerful reminder that technology must enhance, not replace, our human experiences and connections.
For business decision-makers, the path forward involves a delicate balance. Embrace AI for its ability to streamline operations, improve decision-making, and drive productivity. At the same time, preserve the uniquely human elements of creativity, empathy, and critical thinking that AI can’t replicate (at least not yet).
The 2024 Paris Olympics showcase both the potential and pitfalls of AI. From robotic training partners to AI-generated recaps, the games show how technology can enhance experiences and provide valuable insights. Yet, the criticism against even the idea of AI-generated fan letters shows how important it is to keep things real and personal. This alone should be a cautionary tale for organizations looking to outsource consumer, customer, member, workforce, or other stakeholder relationships to AI.
Consider where AI can add the most value — automating mundane tasks, providing data-driven insights, and enabling more strategic decision-making. But always ask: Does this use of AI enhance or diminish the human experience of working at or interacting with our business? Are we using technology to complement our capabilities, or are we allowing it to supplant meaningful human interactions?
Success happens where technology supports human ingenuity and fosters deeper connections, rather than eroding them. By drawing the lines thoughtfully and strategically, you can use AI to not only improve your operations but also to inspire and engage your teams, customers, and stakeholders.
Remember, in a world where anything that can be automated will be automated, the human touch becomes your most valuable asset. Embrace AI. But never lose sight of the irreplaceable qualities that make your business truly matter to the people who make your business what it is today.
Greg, thanks for providing probing insights. I'm reading this again and again so as to not miss an inkling of the ethical points being made. Also, you provoke something I'm going to need to really think about: the balance between AI automation and human creativity, the need for both, and the role each plays.
(BTW, no AI was involved in writing this comment.)