Shopping for a Voice Assistant Becomes a Nightmare Hellscape in This Ad for 'the Good Robot'

Digital home assistants come in all sorts of shapes and formats these days, from sleek and compact to maniacal and murderous. OK, not really—or maybe not yet—but one robotics company does worry that the industry is too focused on what technology can do versus what it should do. In "The Decision," a spot from Wieden + Kennedy Portland for robotics company Anki, we see a curious shopper named Ethan looking at his options for a digital home buddy. First he looks at Vector, the tiny, sweet-tempered robot created by Anki. It seems like a charming fit, taking pictures of his baby, giving him vague advice about the weather and generally bleep-blooping its way into Ethan's heart. But just as Gremlins first introduced us to an adorable Mogwai before all hell broke loose, this spot soon takes a turn when Ethan looks at his other options, including the Alexa-esque Kona, a flying drone with arms, a mechanical dog and an ominous HomeBot. In contrast to Vector, these options leave Ethan more than a little anxious about what he might be bringing into his home. [kickout id="1"] Referencing everything from Black Mirror (Season 4's "Metalhead" episode presents an apocalypse brought about by robot dogs) to 2001: A Space Odyssey's HAL, the ad packs quite a few nightmare scenarios into one clip—which is especially surprising, given that it's trying to sell you on a home robot. In fact, the company's statement announcing the video pulls no punches when it comes to acknowledging that pop culture has trained us to equate robots with our own existential doom. "It’s an unfortunate but widely accepted fact that, left unchecked, robots will eventually rise up, overtake humanity, and destroy all biological life on Earth," the release says. "That’s the bad news. The good news is that humans don’t have to become robot fuel. There is a better, less robot apocalypse–filled future that is now possible thanks to Vector, the Good Robot." On Anki's website for Vector, the headline reads: "Smart enough to take over the world. Nice enough not to." In addition to the video, Anki will be taking its campaign to the streets, driving a mobile billboard around competing robotics companies and asking them to think about the potential negative repercussions of the technology they're creating. CREDITS: Agency: Wieden + Kennedy Portland Executive Creative Directors Jason Bagley + Eric Baldwin Creative Directors Stuart Brown + Brandon Davis + Dan Viens Copywriter Jonathan Marshall Art Director Helen Rhodes Director of Production Mike Davidson + Matt Hunnicutt Executive Producer N/A Producer(s) Chris Capretto + Bob Guerrero Associate Producer N/A Art Producer N/A Strategic Planning Angela Jones + John Dempsey Media/Comms Planning Lisa Johnson + Jonathan Thomas Brand Director Danny Sullivan Brand Manager Heather Morba Creative Operations Manager Lindsey Reightley PRODUCTION Production Company Somesuch Director Nick Gordon Executive Producer Nicky Barnes Line Producer Saul Germaine Director of Photography Christopher Blauvelt EDITORIAL Editorial Company Joint Editorial Editor Steve Sprinkel + Eric Hill Assistant Editor Kristy Faris Post Producer Jen Milano + Chris Gerard Post Executive Producer Leslie Carthy VFX VFX Company The Mill VFX Lead Jason Bergman + John Shirley Flame Artist Flame Assist VFX Producer Erin Hicke VFX Executive Producer Anastasia von Rahl + Enca Kaul Titles/Graphics MUSIC Music+Sound Company Soundtree Composer Mitchell Tanner Head of Music Production Luis Almau Managing Director Jay James SOUND DESIGN Sound Company Soundtree Sound Designer Henning Knoepfel Ast Sound Designer N/A Executive Producer N/A MIX Mix Company Lime Mixer Mark Meyuhas Mixer Asst Mixer Producer Susie Boyajan DESIGN Design Ken Berg Photography N/A Photography N/A Retouching Frazer Goodbody Print Producer Ellen Osborne Design Operations Patrick Cahalan