Nowhere is the advance of technology more evident than in the rise of robots and artificial intelligence. From smart devices to self-checkout lanes to Netflix recommendations, robots (the hardware) and AI (the software) are everywhere inside the technology of modern society. They're increasingly common in ads, too: During the 2019 Super Bowl alone, seven ads aired featuring either robots or AI. Since I began studying human-robot interactions almost a decade ago, I've observed that in most ads, robots typically fall into one of three general categories: scary, sad or stupid. All three perpetuate common misconceptions about technologies that are already beginning to play a pivotal role in people's lives.