This is the reason Microsoft and Google place AI in their advertising content

Microsoft and Google are companies that frequently mention AI in their advertising content especially if it’s about AI, while other companies, such as Crowdstrike and Esty, prefer to be subtle about mentioning AI in their ads for AI products, in a pattern noticed by Chris Matyszczyk at ZDNEt.

Earlier this month, at the Super Bowl, one of the US’ most watched televised events of the year, Microsoft sort of stole the show with a Copilot-centered ad, making people aware of the AI tool once again.

Google also introduced its Pixel 8, earlier this month, although not at SuperBowl, with a commercial on YouTube that has surpassed 50 million views. And guess what? The company highlights the utility of AI for visually impaired people trying to capture photos with loved ones. By all means, it’s an emotional ad. And it mentions AI.

On the other hand, Crowdstrike, a leading AI-native cybersecurity platform, released an ad for its AI-based security services without mentioning AI.

Etsy’s latest ad follows the same pattern. The company’s one of the most popular features, Gift Mode, uses AI to suggest gift recommendations, however, in the ad, the company chooses not to highlight it at all. It goes in the opposite direction, as you can see in the video below.

AI in advertising: Here’s what we think

While there are opinions agreeing that AI ads are more interesting if they don’t mention or feature AI at all, Microsoft and Google have a clear goal for their doing it: mass adoption of AI.

Earlier we said that the Copilot ad at the SuperBowl would make people aware of the AI tool, once again, as if Microsoft hasn’t mentioned it every time it got the chance.

But the thing is, the Super Bowl was the moment a big bunch of people heard about Copilot for the first time. And this is important, because the majority of people are not tech nerds, following tech news, or being interested in tech in the first place.

No. Even though tech journalists are accustomed to hearing about Copilot so much that they revel in AI-less ad commercials about AI, the majority of people don’t know about Copilot, and don’t care enough for it to become an everyday technology.

There is proof for it: even though Microsoft kept talking about Copilot every chance it got in 2023, the Redmond-based tech giant still needed to release it to Windows 10, even though it was touted as a Windows 11 exclusive feature. And then, even though there are 75 million Windows Copilot users out there, our last survey shows that less than 50% actually use the tool daily.

Even though AI is capable of really useful abilities, such as streamlining work, editing and summarising text, books, articles, and so many more, people are not aware of it, nor its capabilities.

Would AI-less commercial ads about AI make people more aware of this technology? Well, chances are not.

But when AI is featured as a life-changing technology in commercials, people might actually give it a chance. Look at the history: iPhones, while being miles behind Android devices, are still successfully commercial and adopted by people everywhere, because Apple advertises them directly, showcasing them in everyday situations.

So, no, releasing AI-less commercials about AI is not the solution, despite its apparent elegance. Directly showcasing and displaying AI in advertising is probably the only chance for this technology to gain popular ground. Otherwise, it’s only going to be for tech nerds.

Which is not a bad thing, but it’s not viable, from a business perspective. And both Google and Microsoft mean business.