Anthropic and OpenAI Take Contrasting Tones in Super Bowl AI Advertising Clash
uper Bowl Commercial --
The Super Bowl has become the latest stage for an increasingly public rivalry between artificial intelligence leaders Anthropic and OpenAI, as both companies unveiled sharply contrasting commercials during the 2026 game.
Anthropic’s campaign adopted a deliberately provocative tone, poking fun at competitors without naming them directly. Its ads center on a clear message: while advertising is entering the AI ecosystem, it will not be coming to Anthropic’s chatbot, Claude.
The tagline, “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude,” was widely interpreted as a pointed reference to OpenAI’s recent announcement that it plans to introduce ads to the free version of ChatGPT.
OpenAI did not reference Anthropic in its own Super Bowl spot. Instead, the company opted for a more aspirational narrative focused on curiosity, learning, and long-term personal growth.
The one-minute commercial follows a man’s lifelong pursuit of knowledge, tracing his journey from childhood through adulthood. The story concludes with him using OpenAI’s Codex tool as part of his continued effort to build and create.
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman addressed Anthropic’s campaign directly in a public post last week, acknowledging the humor while questioning the accuracy of its message.
Altman described the Anthropic ads as funny but argued that their core claim was misleading, signaling that tensions between the two AI labs are now extending beyond product development and into public messaging.
OpenAI executives framed their own ad as a reflection of the company’s broader mission. The focus, they said, was on portraying the emotional arc of building something meaningful, including setbacks and breakthroughs.
According to the company, the commercial draws inspiration from the experiences of its researchers and engineers, as well as from real-world users applying ChatGPT to everyday challenges.
The goal, OpenAI explained, was to spark a sense of possibility among viewers, encouraging them to imagine what they could create with AI tools at their disposal.
The dueling Super Bowl ads highlight a widening philosophical divide in how leading AI companies present themselves to the public. While Anthropic leans on skepticism toward advertising and monetization, OpenAI emphasizes optimism, creativity, and broad accessibility.
As AI companies compete for mainstream trust and recognition, the Super Bowl has emerged as a high-profile arena where tone and values are becoming just as important as technology itself.
