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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The African Democratic Congress, ADC, governorship candidate for Abia State, Kalu Kalu, has challenged Governor Alex Otti to identify any project executed by his administration in Ohafia Local Government Area.
Kalu, who hails from Ohafia, said he would withdraw from the 2027 governorship race if Otti’s administration can show evidence of a single project completed in the local government.
He threw the challenge at Otti during an interview on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on Friday.
Kalu claimed that Ohafia Local Government Area had received over N16 billion in allocations over the past three and a half years, but alleged that there was no visible state government project in the area.
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“I am from Ohafia LG of Abia State, and I’m placing it on record here that my local government has received over N16 billion for the past three and a half years,” he said.
He challenged Arise TV to visit Ohafia and ask Otti and his aides to identify any project the state government has executed in the area.
“Let Alex Otti and his handlers show your station any project that his government has done for the people of Ohafia Local Government. Not one,” he said.
Kalu added that he would abandon his governorship ambition if the television station could identify one project undertaken by Otti’s administration in the local government.
“If your station will go to Ohafia Local Government and show one single project Alex Otti has done for the people of Ohafia Local Government, I will drop my gubernatorial ambition,” he said.
The road to Jos Food Festival 2026 has already begun.
With the Festival scheduled for 18–20 December at Nirvana Park & Gardens, Jos, organizers are using a series of food, cultural and community experiences to build towards an edition themed “This Is Plateau.”
Produced by the CHEF ELVIS Company, the Festival is being developed as a three-day experience combining food, entertainment, culture, fashion, tourism, enterprise, creativity and brand experiences.
One of the most significant elements is The Season, a proposed 72-hour Nigerian-style shawarma record bid involving the continuous preparation and serving of 3,000 shawarmas.
The Season is expected to operate throughout the Festival, bringing together chefs, production teams, volunteers, partners and guests in a live culinary production.
The project is currently being developed with operational systems covering food preparation, food safety, staffing, logistics, documentation and quality control, alongside relevant technical and professional validation processes.
Before December, however, the team has been using smaller activations to introduce the concept and test different elements of the experience.
A recent Shawarma Pop-Up in Jos welcomed 1,304 guests, with 533 customers served, giving the team an opportunity to observe public response and test aspects of production and operations.
Another planned layer of the campaign is Dress Code: Plateau, a cultural and fashion activation inviting participants to interpret Plateau identity through traditional and contemporary fashion, photography, content and storytelling.
These experiences form part of a broader strategy to introduce the Festival gradually, allowing different aspects of its identity to reach audiences before the December event.
At the Festival itself, audiences can expect a culinary programme spanning indigenous Plateau dishes, traditional meals, grills, fried foods, pastries, small chops, contemporary meals and modern street-food concepts.
The wider programme will include music, entertainment, games, fashion, cultural storytelling, creator experiences and brand activations.
Local restaurants, food entrepreneurs and emerging brands will also have opportunities to connect directly with audiences and showcase their products.
For Festival Director Chef Elvis Katlong Henry, the activities leading to December are ultimately about creating a larger platform for Plateau.
“The world-record ambition may attract attention, but Plateau is the story. We want people to experience our food, our people, our creativity, our hospitality and the energy that makes Jos different. This Is Plateau is our way of putting all of that in one place.”
By December, the different pieces will come together at Nirvana Park & Gardens.
Three days.
One Festival.
One central idea:
This Is Plateau.
Event: Jos Food Festival 2026 Theme: This Is Plateau Dates: 18–20 December 2026 Venue: Nirvana Park & Gardens, Jos, Plateau State Major Experience: The Season — proposed 72-hour Nigerian-style shawarma record bid