Google's AI-generated Super Bowl cheese ad has some holes
One of Google’s Super Bowl ads features a Wisconsin cheese market owner who uses the company’s Gemini AI tool to write product descriptions. However, cheese fans quickly noticed a flaw in a previous version last week.
The AI-generated copy in the commercial claimed that Gouda accounts for “50 to 60 percent of the world’s consumption.” An X user quickly pointed out that this statement was incorrect. (“Cheddar & mozzarella would like a word,” the user added.)
The Challenges of Generative AI
Despite being widely used since the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022, generative AI still faces challenges in producing accurate results. Google’s AI-generated search results have faced criticism for providing misleading information, such as falsely claiming that former President Barack Obama is a Muslim.
Other users pointed out last year that the AI tool recommended adding glue on pizza to help the cheese stick.
Google's Push for AI Integration
Google is currently working on integrating its Gemini AI technology across its various products in an effort to compete with US AI rivals like OpenAI and Meta, as well as new competitors in China.
According to Google Cloud executive Jerry Dischler Jerry Dischler, the inaccurate information in the ad was not a hallucination but rather a misunderstanding due to various websites featuring the incorrect statistic.
Addressing the Issue
In response to the error, Google has updated the commercial to remove the inaccurate statistic. The revised version can be viewed here.
After consulting with the Wisconsin Cheese Mart owner, Google decided to rework the product description using Gemini without the disputed statistic, as per the owner's suggestion. This update reflects the business's preferred approach.
When searching for “gouda cheese consumption,” the first result displaying the 50-60% statistic is from a site called Cheese.com. However, the accuracy of this statistic has been a topic of debate on the internet.
The Wisconsin ad was part of a series showcasing 50 commercials from various states’ small businesses that utilize Google Workspace with Gemini.
