Meta released a new advertisement promoting an optimistic vision of AI’s impact on society, featuring imagery of people connecting, celebrating, and experiencing joyful moments, set to David Bowie’s song “Five Years.” CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared the video, stating that Meta has always aimed to give people the power to connect and shape their world, and that the company intends to ensure AI’s benefits reach everyone as adoption accelerates.
The ad has drawn attention because the featured Bowie track is widely understood to depict humanity’s reaction to learning of an impending mass-extinction event, a contrast to the ad’s upbeat tone.
The release follows a similarly scrutinized ad from Anthropic, which used stark imagery, including a burning house, surveillance footage, and laborers in mining conditions, paired with voiceover questions about whether AI can be trusted. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded publicly to the Anthropic ad, suggesting he initially mistook it for satire.
The dueling campaigns come as public sentiment toward AI remains mixed. A recent Pew survey found only 16% of Americans expect AI to have a positive impact on society over the next two decades, while 40% anticipate a negative one.
