Meta launched a new AI optimism ad set to a song about human extinction

Meta’s latest advertisement promotes AI optimism using David Bowie’s song “Five Years,” which is actually about humanity’s impending extinction. This choice, along with similar questionable ads from other AI companies like Anthropic, fails to convince the public of AI’s benefits, as indicated by a Pew survey showing public skepticism about AI’s future impact. The article suggests tech leaders’ lack of literary analysis contributes to these PR missteps.

• Meta’s new advertisement aims to portray AI positively, using David Bowie’s song “Five Years” as its soundtrack.
• The song “Five Years” is about the human race learning they have five years left to live due to a mass-extinction event, a stark contrast to the ad’s optimistic message.
• The author critiques Meta’s choice, suggesting it is contradictory and that tech leaders often lack literary understanding, citing other examples like OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman and the company Palantir.
• Anthropic also released an eerie advertisement featuring themes of surveillance, poverty, and death, which conveyed a similar bleak mood.
• Public perception of AI remains largely negative, with a Pew survey indicating that only 16% of Americans believe AI’s impact will be positive over the next 20 years.
  Continue reading https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/23/meta-launched-a-new-ai-optimism-ad-set-to-a-song-about-human-extinction/