Drone-powered ad for PC Health chatbot slammed as 'dystopian' by some residents

The display, which began around 11 p.m., pointed users to a chat service that provides a 'convenient' way to ask health questions and get a real-time response, PC Health says. Not all residents saw the ad as convenient, however. (PC Health/Instagram)Social SharingOn Thursday night, drones lit up the sky above Toronto's waterfront displaying a list of health-related questions in what turned out to be an ad campaign for a new President's Choice AI-powered chatbot.

"Can Melatonin lose its effect?" read the display. "Do I really need 8 hours of sleep?"

"What are the symptoms of insomnia?" it asked, before displaying a QR code for the service.

The display, which began around 11 p.m. and lasted 15 minutes, advertised a free chat service, that PC Health, owned and operated by Loblaw Companies Limited, says uses Canadian clinical guidelines to provide a "convenient" way to ask health questions and get real-time information.

Not all residents thought the ad was convenient, however.

Videos of the ad near Fort York surfaced on social media, garnering a wide array of reactions. On Reddit, some users expressed disgust, with one replier saying "these need to be banned immediately." Another said it obstructed their view while driving on the Gardiner Expressway.

"What dystopian hell are we in for now?" asked local urban planner Sean Galbraith on CBC Radio’s As It Happens Friday. "Do we not have enough advertising along the highways and such that we have to now pollute the night sky with more ads?"

Galbraith, who learned of the ad after the fact, called it "horrible" and even "ironic."

"It being dynamic and having all that movement and being so large in the sky, it was a real problem," Galbraith said. "It was maximally disruptive."

"Are you having trouble sleeping with a drone show buzzing in the night sky?" he said.

The company said all required permits were obtained for the ad, which was inspired by the 'many questions Canadians find themselves asking late at night.' (PC Health/Instagram)In a statement to CBC Toronto, Loblaw Companies Limited said the drone show was inspired by "many questions Canadians find themselves asking late at night."

"The drone show held in the downtown core was designed to illuminate those moments of uncertainty," the company said. "Canadians have questions about their health and wellness and they're looking for trusted answers."

The company added all required permits were obtained.

"It definitely has a very dystopian vibe," she told CBC Toronto.

Matheson says the product is intriguing at a time of shortage of health-care practitioners and long wait times. But the drone show itself wasn't welcome, she said.

"This came out of nowhere. It was blatant advertising," Matheson said. "This is just literally plastered where everyone can see and not everyone wants to engage in constant advertisement."

Matheson says she hopes there will be more nuanced discussions about the use of drone shows as advertising.

"There still needs to be a relationship with people and how they want to view [a company’s] product," Matheson said. "You should seriously consider the ways you are marketing to people and not overstepping boundaries."

On Thursday night, drones lit up the sky above Toronto's waterfront displaying a list of health-related questions in what turned out to be an ad campaign for a new President's Choice AI-powered chatbot. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)CBC Toronto has reached out to the city, Coun. Ausma Malik (Spadina-Fort York) and police for comment.

Meanwhile, Galbraith says the drone campaign is very different from billboard ads along Toronto’s waterfront because it wasn't static and draws attention away from what one might be doing.

"It's extremely tone-deaf on their part and really speaks poorly of what they think people in downtown Toronto should have to be subjected to," he said.

Gabriela Silva Ponte has been with CBC Toronto since January 2025. Currently, she works as a web writer, but has previously taken on a variety of reporting roles in ethnic media newsrooms and at Toronto Metropolitan University. Gabriela graduated from TMU with a Bachelor of Journalism. You can reach her at gabriela.silva.ponte@cbc.ca.