[company name] made a [adjective] AI

Recent controversy over an iPad Pro advertisement made me think about sentiment towards AI depending on the vehicle talking about AI. Some companies can seemingly do no wrong with AI while others are immediately bashed for being adjacent to it. Brand perception, subject matter, and audience psychographics seem to determine what a company can get away with.

iPad Pro | Crush!

Apple’s commercial for the new iPad Pro featured a hydraulic press crushing art, creative tools, and some electronics. Among the victims were a clay sculpture, paints, a piano, an arcade cabinet, a stack of books, and more. The ad ends with the press lifting up to reveal the new M4 iPad Pro. The big idea is that the iPad can do all the things that filled the platform. The commercial is very on-brand for Apple.

This is an AI article, why am I talking about a commercial for an iPad with no current AI functionality? (This device is expected to have AI capabilities at some point.) I’m talking about it because AI played a big role in how people perceived the ad. When AI threatens to replace the way art is created, creatives become sensitive to the ways technology is used to produce art. Under critical eyes, it’s easy to see how it looks like it’s trying to say that an iPad is an equivalent replacement for all these crushed tools. In reality, the ad was just showcasing how much functionality the small tablet packed.

LG produced a similar advertisement with tools being crushed by a large compactor 15 years ago. A quick look at the comments made before Apple released this ad reveals only two of the twelve comments on that video are negative. One of the two negative comments is about the destruction of the equipment. There was no call for arms or demand for an apology from LG by its customer base. The difference between now and then is that AI and technology have started to occupy more and more of the artistic space. Apple, a company known to be popular for empowering creatives, is having trouble communicating the message it has been giving for years.

Google Pixel 8 | AI in Your Hands

Google, the company that can’t finish a sentence without mentioning AI, has featured AI functionality in all advertising for the newest Google Pixel. The AI in Your Hands ad showcases how powerful the camera app is with noise filtering, object editing/removal, and the ability to change people’s faces for group photos to get everyone’s best take. Other ads show functionality like having the Google Assistant summarize long pages of text so users don’t have to read lengthy articles, robocall filtering, and other handy AI-powered features.

Google is okay with saying that AI allows its users to redefine reality with AI tools. Don’t remember the moment the way it happened, remember it how you wanted it to happen! Google also promotes using “spark notes” instead of taking the time to read bodies of work. Tone, subtleties, and developing a deep understanding are sometimes necessary for a work to be processed properly.  However, nobody is batting an eye. Google does not have an association with creators to the degree that Apple does. Google’s audience wants these features and doesn’t put considerable weight into the cultural impact they might have. I am curious to see how Apple will frame AI features when it starts rolling them out knowing what its competitors are doing and how critical its audience is.

#BestPhonesForever

When I saw the newest Ghostbusters in the theater there was an advertisement for the Google Pixel 8 I had not seen before. It was a skit starring the Google Pixel 8 and iPhone 15 where they talked to each other. The Pixel made references to how the iPhone lagged in the AI space. When I looked up the hashtag used, #BestPhonesForever, I found it was a series that had been going on for the past 10 months. Most showcase AI features that the Pixel has and frame it as a more innovative phone than the iPhone. They are all hilarious.

With Apple’s brand image solidified, I doubt there will ever be any serious retaliation which is unfortunate because it would be interesting to see what they could come up with. I want to live through the smartphone wars.

Google does what Apple-dont! (That doesn’t work.)

Conclusions

Apple and Google aren’t the only ones putting out AI headlines. OpenAI, Microsoft, Amazon, X, and all the other big tech companies are either creating or at least using AI in some capacity. Perceptions of AI’s development and implementation are dependent on the company's audience and how it changes the status quo. Some companies like Google have a lot of leeway in what they can showcase while others like Apple have to be careful what they say even when they’re not talking about AI. As it permeates cultures and AI becomes more of a sensitive subject, communication related to AI must be cautious and tailored to its desired audience.