New Google commercial imagines a Declaration of Independence written with help from AI

Two hundred and fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a new commercial from Google asks : What if the Founding Fathers had access to Google Workspace?

With the tagline “Group project, but make it 1776,” the ad depicts a largely unseen Thomas Jefferson mid-draft when he gets a nagging text from Ben Franklin, leading to a very Google-centric collaboration process. Edits are suggested in Google Docs, a meeting gets scheduled in Google Calendar and conducted remotely via Google Meet (with every single attendee apparently turning their camera off?), then the whole thing is finalized with e-signatures; cue the fireworks.

Of course, since this is an ad from a tech company in the year 2026, AI has a role to play. The fictionalized founders use Google’s “help me visualize” AI tool to try out different animals on the national seal, Gemini takes notes on the meeting, and the founders also ask the chatbot for advice before declining King George III’s document access request.

The whole thing is very tongue-in-cheek (at one point, Sam Adams asks, “Can we settle this over beers?”), and the AI evangelism is relatively discreet when compared to many other recent ads . And unlike that infamous Google commercial in which a father uses Gemini to write a fan letter for his daughter, this one shies away from any suggestion that the actual text of the Declaration of Independence would be improved with AI. Perhaps the most AI-forward element of the ad is the footage itself, which to my eye has the uncanny glow of AI-generated video.

While viewer comments on YouTube and Instagram appear to be mostly positive, you may not be surprised to learn that the response on Bluesky has been far more critical . Posters declared the commercial “cringey” and “stunningly tone deaf,” and the AI angle was the biggest target — even as many users, including historian Angus Johnston , noted that it’s “amazing how little of this is actually AI.”

“Even in a corny fantasy joke, it’s impossible to make the case that AI is a useful tool for political organizing, writing, or human collaboration,” Johnston said.

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Anthony Ha is TechCrunch’s weekend editor. Previously, he worked as a tech reporter at Adweek, a senior editor at VentureBeat, a local government reporter at the Hollister Free Lance, and vice president of content at a VC firm. He lives in New York City.

You can contact or verify outreach from Anthony by emailing anthony.ha@techcrunch.com .

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Editorial analysis

Google's new advertising campaign, which imagines the Founding Fathers of the United States using modern collaboration tools like Google Workspace, raises interesting questions about the intersection of technology, history, and creativity. While the humorous and light-hearted approach of the ad has been well-received on some platforms, the critical reaction on others, such as Bluesky, highlights a growing skepticism regarding the portrayal of AI as an effective collaboration tool. This is particularly relevant in a Brazilian context, where the adoption of AI technologies still faces challenges related to infrastructure and the training of qualified professionals.

In Brazil, the discussion about the use of AI in creative and collaborative processes is on the rise, but it is often accompanied by concerns about the actual effectiveness of these tools in complex contexts like politics and social organization. Google's ad, while attempting to promote its technological solutions, also reflects a dilemma: can AI truly enhance human collaboration, or does it merely serve as a marketing tool?

Moreover, the mixed reception of the ad suggests that the public is becoming more critical of how technology is presented. The criticism that AI is not a magic solution for collaboration problems, as noted by historian Angus Johnston, is a warning that should be heeded by companies looking to integrate AI into their operations. The expectation is that in the future, there will be a movement towards a more realistic and grounded representation of AI in advertising campaigns, especially in a country like Brazil, where technology is still developing.

Finally, it is important to observe how this narrative about AI and collaboration will unfold in future campaigns and whether companies will be able to align their messages with the expectations and concerns of the public. The evolution of public perception regarding AI may influence not only marketing strategies but also the acceptance and adoption of emerging technologies in Brazil and worldwide.

New Google commercial imagines a Declaration of Independence written with help from AI

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Editorial analysis

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