Pepsi's New Ad Has Allen Iverson Act as AI Chatbot

Over the weekend, Pepsi kicked off a fresh new campaign with a spot starring former NBA star Allen Iverson, but not in a role viewers would expect.

The 38-second spot titled "A.I. Can Do That?" starts with two officemates conversing: a woman filling out her brackets and a man cracking open an ice-cold can of Pepsi.

As the former expresses difficulty picking teams, the latter suggests the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to help her with her decision.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Allen Iverson (@theofficialai3)

"AI can do that?" the woman asks. Her officemate then brings out his phone to show her how it works. 

But instead of a chatbot, the ad reveals that the "AI" the man was referring to was "the Answer" Iverson all along.

In the middle of playing video games, the famous point guard picks up his phone to the sound of a notification.

"I can't always be the answer," he says, as he picks up a dart and throws it at a map up on his wall. The dart lands on Florida. 

Back in the office, the woman questions "AI's" pick.

"It's AI, who knows," the man responds.

The spot ends with a call to action, promoting its latest activation in light of March Madness.

The 'Zero Right Bracket Challenge'

The latest commercial brings to light Pepsi's "Zero Right Bracket Challenge," offering March Madness fans a chance to win $100,000 on Draftkings for making absolutely no right picks.

Starting March 18 until March 21, participants of the challenge will have to fill out their entire bracket before the tournament begins, selecting the teams they think will not advance into the next round.

However, the popular soda brand added an unsuspected twist to the challenge — the more points a participant racks up, the lesser their chances of winning.

In the end, the participant with the lowest score wins, where zero would be just perfect.