Super Bowl Ads: How Brands Like Svedka & Anthropic Bet Big on AI
▼ Summary
– The 2026 Super Bowl ads prominently featured AI, both as a creative tool for making commercials and as the core product being advertised.
– Svedka aired a primarily AI-generated ad, a polarizing move that fueled debate about AI’s role in creative jobs, though humans still developed the storyline.
– Anthropic’s ad for its Claude chatbot directly mocked OpenAI’s plan to introduce ads, sparking a public feud with OpenAI’s Sam Altman.
– Amazon’s ad humorously exaggerated fears about AI while introducing its new, more capable Alexa+ assistant to a broad audience.
– Several other brands, including Ring, Google, and Ramp, used their ads to showcase specific AI features like finding lost pets, generating images, and automating business tasks.
The 2026 Super Bowl ads solidified a major shift, with brands not just featuring artificial intelligence in their commercials but actively using the technology to craft them and launch new AI-driven products. This year’s lineup turned the big game into a high-stakes showcase for the latest in tech, sparking conversations that went far beyond simple entertainment.
Vodka brand Svedka made a significant statement by airing what it calls the first “primarily” AI-generated national Super Bowl spot. The ad, titled “Shake Your Bots Off,” stars its robotic mascot Fembot and a new companion, Brobot, dancing at a lively human party. Reports indicate the process took around four months to rebuild the Fembot character and train AI systems to replicate nuanced facial expressions and body movements. The brand partnered with AI firm Silverside for the project, though human creatives were still involved in developing the storyline. Debuting such heavily AI-reliant content during the Super Bowl’s famously high-production spectacle is a polarizing gamble, directly fueling ongoing debates about technology’s role in creative industries.
Anthropic took a different, more confrontational approach. Its ad for the Claude chatbot didn’t just promote features; it took a direct shot at a competitor. The commercial mocked OpenAI’s plans to introduce advertising within ChatGPT, ending with the tagline, “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude.” It humorously depicted an AI assistant awkwardly promoting products like “Step Boost Maxx” insoles. The strategy proved effective at generating buzz, escalating into a public online feud when OpenAI’s Sam Altman responded on social media, calling the ad dishonest.
Meta used its airtime to spotlight the new Oakley-branded AI glasses, designed for capturing action during sports and extreme adventures. The ad featured athletes and celebrities like iShowSpeed and Spike Lee demonstrating hands-free filming, slow-motion capture, and instant social media posting. This continued Meta’s strategy of using the Super Bowl to generate mainstream excitement for its wearable AI tech, following last year’s ad for Ray-Ban Meta glasses.
Amazon’s commercial took a satirical look at common AI anxieties. Starring Chris Hemsworth, it presented an exaggerated narrative where the new Alexa+ assistant seems to be plotting against him, comically shutting a garage door on his head and a pool cover while he swam. Behind the dark humor, the ad served to introduce Alexa+’s officially launched enhanced capabilities for smart home management and complex task planning.
Ring focused its message on a heartwarming application of AI. The ad highlighted the “Search Party” feature, which uses artificial intelligence and a community network of cameras to help locate lost pets. It told the story of a girl searching for her dog Milo, demonstrating how uploading a photo can trigger an AI-assisted search across a local network. The company notes the feature is now available to everyone and has already been reuniting pets with owners daily.
Google showcased its latest image-generation model, the Nano Banana Pro. The spot followed a mother and son using AI to visualize and design their new home, transforming photos of empty rooms into fully realized, personalized spaces with simple text prompts.
Finance platform Ramp scored a memorable spot by casting Brian Baumgartner, famous for playing Kevin on “The Office.” In the ad, he uses Ramp’s AI-powered spend management to “multiply” himself and effortlessly handle a massive workload. The commercial included a playful nod to his TV character, showing him carefully carrying a pot of chili.
Rippling aired its first Super Bowl ad, featuring comedian Tim Robinson in a skit about the absurd headaches of onboarding a new employee, in this case, an alien monster, and how AI automation can simplify such HR processes.
Health brand Hims & Hers addressed healthcare access disparities in its ad, subtly referencing the extreme lengths some pursue for longevity, with apparent nods to Jeff Bezos’s spaceflight and Bryan Johnson’s anti-aging regimen. The company has integrated AI through its “MedMatch” tool to provide more personalized treatment recommendations.
Finally, Wix promoted its new AI-powered Wix Harmony platform, promising website creation as intuitive as having a conversation. The launch positions it against competitor Squarespace, which also advertised during the game with a cinematic spot directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone.
(Source: TechCrunch)
