Meta has released an advertisement presenting AI as a technology that can strengthen human connection and provide wider access to opportunity. The campaign uses David Bowie’s “Five Years,” a song describing humanity’s reaction to learning that Earth will be destroyed.
The advertisement contrasts headlines about job losses, isolation and global risks with scenes of people dancing, swimming, embracing and spending time together. Its message follows Meta’s wider “The Future Is for Everyone” campaign around access to AI technology.
Advertisement Rejects Pessimism About AI
The video opens in black and white as a person reads reports warning about AI’s possible effects. A narrator says some people believe the technology will leave individuals behind or make them feel less connected.
The footage then changes to colour and shows families, friends and children during everyday activities. The narrator describes Meta as optimistic about people and ends with the statement that the future belongs to everyone.
Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg shared the video with a statement about Meta’s commitment to helping people connect and shape their lives. He said the company wants AI’s benefits to be distributed widely as the technology becomes more common across its products.
Soundtrack Describes an Approaching Disaster
The section of “Five Years” used in the advertisement repeatedly refers to people, which matches the campaign’s focus on human connection. However, the full song tells the story of a society that has learned it has five years remaining before Earth ends.
The track appeared on Bowie’s 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Its opening describes a news report announcing the approaching destruction, followed by scenes of panic and emotional distress.
Meta has not explained why it selected the song or whether its narrative was intended to add another meaning to the advertisement.
AI Companies Present Different Public Messages
Meta’s campaign differs from a recent advertisement by Anthropic, which directly raised concerns about AI safety. That video showed a burning building, facial-recognition surveillance, homelessness, cemetery gravestones and labourers working in a quarry.
Anthropic’s advertisement asked whether AI can be trusted and who should intervene if development creates serious risks. It ended by arguing that difficult questions can provide reasons for hope.
The campaigns arrive as public views of AI remain divided. A Pew Research Center survey found that 40% of US adults expect AI to have a negative effect on society over the next 20 years, compared with 16% who expect a positive effect.
Featured image credits: PNGimg.com
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