The AI Super Bowl Ad War Is Here
Super Bowl LX wasn't just about the Seattle Seahawks taking on the New England Patriots. For the AI industry, February 9, 2026, marked the moment artificial intelligence companies graduated from Silicon Valley darlings to mainstream cultural combatants — duking it out during the most-watched broadcast in American television with multi-million dollar ad spots.
Anthropic and OpenAI, the two fiercest rivals in AI, both ran Super Bowl ads this year. But instead of simply promoting their products, they ended up in a very public feud about the future of AI business models, user trust, and who really has your best interests at heart. Here's everything that happened, what it means, and why you should care.
What Anthropic's Super Bowl Ad Said
Anthropic — the company behind Claude, the AI assistant — ran its first-ever Super Bowl ad, and it was a direct shot at OpenAI. The original version of the ad, previewed earlier in the week, carried the tagline: "Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude."
This was a clear reference to OpenAI's January 2026 announcement that it would begin testing advertisements inside ChatGPT for free-tier users. The ad depicted a dystopian scenario where AI conversations are cluttered with sponsored content, product placements, and advertiser-influenced responses — then positioned Claude as the ad-free alternative.
However, by the time the ad actually aired during the Super Bowl broadcast, Anthropic had quietly softened the tagline. The version that ran on NBC read: "There is a time and place for ads. Your conversations with AI should not be one of them."
The change was notable. The original version was a pointed jab directly at OpenAI's business model. The revised version was still a philosophical stance against ads in AI, but it dropped the competitive edge and positioned the message as a broader principle rather than a brand attack.
Anthropic also published a blog post alongside the campaign, stating: "Our users won't see 'sponsored' links adjacent to their conversations with Claude; nor will Claude's responses be influenced by advertisers or include third-party product placements our users did not ask for."
OpenAI's Super Bowl Ad: "You Can Just Build Things"
OpenAI took a completely different approach. Rather than engaging in the ads-vs-no-ads debate, the company ran a Super Bowl spot promoting Codex, its AI coding agent. The tagline? "You can just build things."
The ad focused on builders and creators — positioning Codex as a tool that democratizes software development and lets anyone, regardless of technical background, bring their ideas to life. It was aspirational, forward-looking, and notably avoided any mention of the advertising controversy.
Sam Altman later revealed that Codex had seen 500,000 app downloads since its launch on the Monday before the Super Bowl, suggesting the ad was timed to capitalize on existing momentum rather than start a new conversation.
The strategic contrast was stark: Anthropic ran a defensive ad about what it wouldn't do, while OpenAI ran an offensive ad about what users could do with its product.
Sam Altman Fires Back: "Clearly Dishonest"
The real fireworks came before kickoff. After Anthropic previewed its original ad earlier in the week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded on X (formerly Twitter) with a lengthy statement that didn't hold back:
"First, the good part of the Anthropic ads: they are funny, and I laughed. But I wonder why Anthropic would go for something so clearly dishonest. Our most important principle for ads says that we won't do exactly this; we would obviously never run ads in the way Anthropic depicts them. We are not stupid and we know our users would reject that."
Altman went further, calling it "on brand for Anthropic doublespeak to use a deceptive ad to critique theoretical deceptive ads that aren't real." He pointed out that OpenAI's ad plans only target free-tier and ChatGPT Go users, while paid subscribers (Plus and Pro) see no ads at all — and that ads are always "separate and clearly labeled" from ChatGPT's responses.
But Altman's most cutting line was about accessibility:
"Anthropic serves an expensive product to rich people. We are glad they do that and we are doing that too, but we also feel strongly that we need to bring AI to billions of people who can't pay for subscriptions... More Texans use ChatGPT for free than total people use Claude in the US."
He also accused Anthropic of wanting to "control what people do with AI," citing that they "block companies they don't like from using their coding product (including us)" and "want to write the rules themselves for what people can and can't use AI for."
The Battle Lines: Ad-Supported vs. Premium-Only AI
Strip away the corporate posturing, and this Super Bowl showdown reveals a fundamental disagreement about the future of AI business models. Here's how the two companies stack up:
| Dimension | Anthropic (Claude) | OpenAI (ChatGPT / Codex) |
|---|---|---|
| Super Bowl Ad Focus | No ads in AI conversations | Codex: "You can just build things" |
| Business Model | Subscription-only, no ads | Freemium with ad-supported free tier |
| Free Access | Limited free tier | Broad free access via ad support |
| Ad Stance | "Conversations should be ad-free" | "Ads fund free access for billions" |
| Messaging Tone | Defensive / principled | Aspirational / builder-focused |
Both arguments have merit. Anthropic's position resonates with users who worry about AI objectivity — if an AI assistant is funded by advertisers, can you fully trust its recommendations? OpenAI counters that ad-supported access is the only way to bring AI to billions of people who can't afford $20+/month subscriptions, similar to how ad-supported Google Search made information universally accessible.
The Third Player: AI.com and the $70 Million Domain
Lost in the Anthropic-OpenAI drama was another significant AI Super Bowl debut. Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek launched AI.com during the game — a platform built on what's reportedly a $70 million domain purchase.
The 30-second AI.com ad playfully dangled user handles like "Mark," "Sam," and "Elon," teasing the idea that early adopters could claim premium AI identities. But the actual product pitch was ambitious: a platform where users can "generate a private, personal AI agent that doesn't just answer questions, but actually operates on the user's behalf."
Marszalek claims the platform will "mainstream AI agents and AGI in the same way he led mass consumer adoption of cryptocurrency." Given that crypto's own Super Bowl moment (the infamous 2022 crypto ads) preceded a devastating market crash, the parallel may not inspire the confidence he intended.
Still, the move signals that AI is following the same cultural playbook as crypto, NFTs, and the metaverse before it — reaching for mainstream attention through the biggest advertising stage in America.
The AI-Generated Ad Problem
Beyond the corporate rivalry, Super Bowl LX had another AI storyline: the proliferation of AI-generated ads themselves. Multiple brands used generative AI to produce their commercials, and the results were... not great.
The Verge described the AI-generated spots as having "an undeniable cheap and sloppy quality," noting that while image and video generation models have improved, they're "still subpar compared to what humans create." The irony was thick — AI companies running polished, traditionally produced ads while other brands ran AI-generated ads that undermined confidence in the technology.
Pepsi notably went the opposite direction, with exec Gustavo Reyna telling AdWeek that the brand focused on "the craft and the creativity of our people, our talent, and our partners" — a subtle rebuke of the AI ad trend.
With 30-second Super Bowl spots costing between $8 and $10 million this year, the temptation to use cheaper AI-generated content was understandable. But the quality gap was obvious to viewers, raising questions about whether the technology is ready for prime time — even as the companies building it insist it already is.
What This Means for AI Users
If you're an everyday user of AI tools — whether you use Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, or other AI agents — here are the practical takeaways:
1. The ads-in-AI debate isn't going away. OpenAI has confirmed it's testing ads for free-tier users. If you use ChatGPT without paying, expect to see sponsored content in some form. If that bothers you, paid tiers or alternative platforms like Claude remain ad-free.
2. AI coding tools are the real battleground. Both companies chose to spotlight their coding products — Anthropic with Claude Code and OpenAI with Codex. The race to become the default AI coding assistant is heating up, and developers are the most valuable users in the AI economy right now.
3. Trust and transparency matter more than ever. As AI companies grow, their business models will shape how their products work. Ad-supported AI could mean subtly biased recommendations. Subscription-only AI could mean limited access. Neither model is perfect, and users should stay informed about how their AI tools are funded.
4. More players are entering the ring. AI.com's Super Bowl launch shows that the AI market is far from settled. New platforms with aggressive marketing budgets will continue emerging, each promising to be the one that brings AI to the mainstream.
The Bigger Picture: AI's "Crypto Super Bowl" Moment
In 2022, the Super Bowl was dubbed the "Crypto Bowl" after a flood of cryptocurrency ads during the broadcast. Within months, the crypto market crashed, and several companies that ran those ads (including FTX) collapsed entirely.
Is AI headed for the same fate? Probably not — the underlying technology is fundamentally more useful than speculative cryptocurrencies, and AI tools are already embedded in millions of daily workflows. But the parallels are worth noting. When an industry starts spending $8-10 million per 30-second ad spot to convince mainstream America it's the future, it's usually a sign that the hype cycle is nearing its peak.
The companies that survive will be the ones that deliver genuine value — not just flashy Super Bowl ads. For now, both Anthropic and OpenAI are building impressive products. The question is whether their business models can sustain the billions of dollars in infrastructure costs that advanced AI requires.
At Serenities AI, we cover the AI tools and trends that actually matter to developers and builders. Whether you're choosing between Claude and ChatGPT, evaluating AI coding assistants, or just trying to keep up with the rapidly changing landscape, our goal is to give you the unbiased information you need to make smart decisions. Check out our latest coverage to stay ahead of the curve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Anthropic and OpenAI both run Super Bowl ads in 2026?
Yes. Anthropic ran an ad positioning Claude as an ad-free AI assistant, with the tagline "There is a time and place for ads. Your conversations with AI should not be one of them." OpenAI ran an ad for its Codex AI coding agent with the tagline "You can just build things." Both ads aired during Super Bowl LX on February 9, 2026.
Why did Sam Altman call Anthropic's ad "clearly dishonest"?
Altman argued that the ad depicted a dystopian scenario of ads appearing inside AI conversations — something OpenAI says it would never do. He pointed out that OpenAI's ad testing only targets free-tier users and that ads are "separate and clearly labeled" from ChatGPT's responses, not embedded within the AI's answers as Anthropic's ad implied.
Will ChatGPT start showing ads to all users?
No. OpenAI has stated that ads will only appear for users on free or ChatGPT Go accounts. Paid subscribers on ChatGPT Plus or Pro plans will not see any advertisements. OpenAI also emphasizes that ads will not influence ChatGPT's responses.
What is AI.com and who is behind it?
AI.com is a new AI platform launched during Super Bowl LX by Kris Marszalek, the CEO of Crypto.com. The domain was reportedly purchased for $70 million. The platform promises to let users create personal AI agents that can operate on their behalf, with the stated goal of mainstreaming AI agents and AGI for everyday consumers.
How much did Super Bowl LX ads cost in 2026?
Thirty-second ad spots during Super Bowl LX cost between $8 million and $10 million, making it the most expensive advertising event in television history. Multiple AI companies, including Anthropic, OpenAI, and AI.com, invested in these premium slots to reach a mainstream American audience.