Meta has released a new advertisement promoting its vision for artificial intelligence, but the choice of soundtrack has left many observers baffled. The 90-second spot, shared by chief executive Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, uses David Bowie’s 1972 track ‘Five Years’ — a song whose lyrics describe humanity learning it has only half a decade left before an apocalyptic event destroys the Earth.
The advert opens in black and white, showing a person scrolling through alarming headlines about AI replacing jobs and eroding human connection. A voiceover then declares: ‘We couldn’t disagree more.’ The footage cuts to colourful scenes of people dancing, swimming and embracing, while the Bowie track plays in the background. The chorus repeatedly uses the word ‘people’, but the preceding lines — omitted from the advert — include: ‘News had just come over, we had five years left to cry in’ and ‘Earth was really dying.’
Meta’s choice has drawn criticism from commentators who argue it reflects a broader pattern among tech executives of misinterpreting cultural works. Previous examples include Meta’s Oculus division distributing copies of ‘Ready Player One’ — a dystopian novel about a corrupt VR company — and OpenAI’s Sam Altman citing the film ‘Her’, which warns against emotional dependence on AI. ‘These leaders are making a strong case for investing in the humanities,’ one cultural analyst noted.
For UK businesses and consumers, the episode raises questions about how tech firms communicate the risks and benefits of AI. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has previously warned companies against making misleading claims about AI capabilities under consumer protection law. Meanwhile, the EU AI Act — which will affect UK firms operating in Europe — requires transparency in AI marketing. ‘If a company cannot get the tone of its own advert right, it does little to inspire confidence in its ability to manage the ethical implications of the technology,’ said Dr. Eleanor Shaw, a digital ethics researcher at the University of Cambridge.
Meta has not commented on the criticism. The company is investing hundreds of billions of dollars in AI infrastructure and has positioned itself as a leader in the field. However, the misstep could undermine trust among UK users already wary of how their data is used to train AI models. For now, the advert remains online, with the Bowie estate yet to respond to requests for comment.