Meta has released an advertisement promoting an optimistic vision of artificial intelligence, arguing that AI can help people connect and fulfil their potential. The campaign matters because it reflects Meta’s major investment in AI, but it has attracted criticism for using music whose meaning conflicts sharply with the advert’s reassuring message.

The advert contrasts alarming AI headlines with colourful scenes of people enjoying relationships and everyday life, accompanied by David Bowie’s “Five Years”. Although the selected section may sound uplifting without context, the song depicts people learning that humanity faces extinction within five years; Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg shared the video while saying the company wants AI’s benefits to reach everyone.