Google’s new Pixel 10 ads made me go ‘Wait, WHAT are they trying to sell?’

I keep hearing the second one in the voice of Joe from You.

Image: Google

Ever watch a TV ad and wonder, “How did this get approved?” Today, Google has not one but two new ad spots for its six-month-old Pixel 10 phones, and… let’s just say they may not come across as intended.

First, there’s “With 100x Zoom,” an ad that appears to suggest that if a vacation rental company lies to you about the view from your hotel room, you should lie to all your friends and family, too!

Take a watch below:

The YouTube description makes Google’s intent fairly clear: “So even if that breathtaking view you were promised turns out to be miles away, now you can zoom your way to a photo that makes it look like you were right there.”

And while we’re on the topic of possibly faking things, Google’s ad admits that what you’re seeing is “simulated,” “for illustrative purposes,” and that “additional hardware” was used.

Next up, there’s “Moving on,” a 30-second spot which is supposed to be from the perspective of… a jilted phone, I guess?

For me, it was all a bit confusing… until I started imagining myself hearing those same words in the voice of You’s Penn Badgley.

Here, I’ve copied out the script:

Is the disembodied male voice in Google’s ad really “moving on”? Or is it an AI-powered Joe Goldberg watching this woman through her phone?