Thomas Jefferson, resolve this thread
Google has released a new ad imagining the Declaration of Independence as a very modern group project.
The ad shows a fictional Thomas Jefferson working on the draft while Ben Franklin chases him over text.
Soon, the founders are editing in Google Docs, scheduling a Google Calendar meeting, joining a Google Meet call with cameras off, and signing the document digitally before the fireworks begin.
AI also appears, because apparently even 1776 needs a chatbot now.
The founders use Google’s “help me visualise” tool for the national seal, Gemini takes meeting notes, and the group asks it for advice before rejecting King George III’s document access request.
The key bits:
Google uses the Declaration anniversary to promote Workspace.
AI appears in the ad, but does not write the historic text.
Reactions vary by platform, with Bluesky the least amused.
Revolutionary admin
The ad is meant to be playful, and the AI push is fairly light compared with other recent tech ads.
It also avoids suggesting AI could have written or improved the Declaration itself, which is probably for the best.
Reaction has been mixed. YouTube and Instagram comments seem mostly positive, while Bluesky users have been more critical, calling the ad “cringey” and “tone deaf.”
Much of the backlash focused on the AI angle, although historian Angus Johnston pointed out that surprisingly little of the ad is actually about AI.
I preferred Hamilton. - MV