The abject weirdness of AI ads

That’s Browser Company CEO, Josh Miller, in his company’s latest ad for its new AI browser, Dia. Consulting your spouse to find gifts for your siblings is a pure — and dare I say, sweet — thing to do with a browser. But the new product he’s showcasing is replacing Arc, a beloved browser that put Miller’s company on the map. Not everyone is happy about the Browser Company’s pivot from Arc to AI browsing, and this latest commercial inadvertently explains why.

“Hi, Valerie, I hope you’re doing well,” said the AI chatbot, posing as Miller, in an email to his wife. “I came across a few interesting products on Amazon …” it continued. “Best, Josh.”

The email feels more like something you’d write to a distant work colleague, rather than the way you’d speak with a loved one you see every day. While it’s not an inappropriate message, it’s cold and could’ve been sent to anyone.

This example from the Browser Company was the latest AI ad that told a different story about the technology than it intended — but perhaps a truer one. It strikes the same sensitive nerve that so many other AI advertisements have in the last year. In trying to promote AI, tech companies can’t help but show how it removes us from the very activities that make us human.

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