Anthropic publicly criticized OpenAI during the Super Bowl by airing commercials against ads in AI chatbots, as competition between Claude and ChatGPT grows.
Super Bowl campaign puts AI monetization in the spotlight
Anthropic is investing millions in its first Super Bowl ads to highlight that its Claude chatbot will stay ad-free. Reuters said one 30-second spot shows a chatbot giving advice with a product pitch, ending with: “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude.”
Many see the campaign as a direct answer to OpenAI’s plans to add ads to some ChatGPT versions. The rivalry is growing as both companies compete for users, funding, and trust.
Rivalry moves from product features to prime-time TV
The Verge said the commercials make fun of ad-supported AI assistants and present Claude as a more neutral choice. The report also said the campaign shows rising tension as both companies try to shape how AI products earn money.
Mashable similarly described the ads as a public jab at ChatGPT, saying they are a marketing move to show the differences in how the two companies do business. The target is widely understood given the ongoing discussion around ads appearing in ChatGPT’s free and lower-tier experiences.
OpenAI responds as debate over ads heats up
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded to the campaign, calling the Anthropic ad “deceptive”. This exchange shows deeper disagreements about how to pay for AI as costs rise.
At the same time, OpenAI is also using the Super Bowl moment to promote its own products, including developer-focused tools, highlighting how both companies are trying to shape public perception of AI.
AI business models become the next battleground
The Super Bowl clash underscores a larger debate across the AI industry: whether the Super Bowl ads highlight a bigger debate in the AI world, should chatbots make money from subscriptions, business sales, ads, or a mix?
As more people use AI, the question of how to make money from it is moving from technical talks to public debate, now happening on one of the world’s biggest ad stages.