Meta’s New Feel-Good AI Ad Uses a Song About the World Ending

Key Points:

• Meta released an Instagram ad featuring David Bowie’s 1972 song “Five Years” to promote optimism about artificial intelligence, emphasizing that AI will not reduce human connection or leave people behind.
• The ad selectively uses lyrics from the song that highlight human diversity and hope, omitting darker parts that reference an apocalyptic scenario, which some critics see as misleading or tone-deaf.
• Critics, including music experts and cultural commentators, argue that using a dystopian song about the end of the world to promote AI is either ignorant or manipulative, especially given Bowie’s original intent and emotional connection to the track.
• Meta’s ad is part of a broader trend where tech companies use emotionally charged or optimistic advertising to counteract public fears about their technologies, though such efforts often struggle to convince audiences of their positive impact.
• Previous tech ads, like those from Anthropic, Google, and FTX, have similarly used hopeful or human-centered narratives, but these campaigns sometimes fail to address deeper concerns about the societal effects of new technologies.