Super Bowl Ads: AI Overload and Mixed Messages

The big game turned into a showcase for artificial intelligence, with many commercials either built around AI or claiming to use it. One example was a vodka brand that used computer‑generated imagery, but the result felt more like a bad joke than a clever pitch. A music‑library company also advertised its new AI tools, boasting that the spot was made in five days for a few thousand dollars and looked “perfectly anonymous” to viewers. Because so many ads claimed AI involvement, some real products were misread as machine‑made. Fans on social media pointed out that a coffee shop ad and a cable company spot seemed suspiciously robotic, even though they were probably not. Tech giants all leaned into AI. Facebook’s parent company tried to market its smart glasses by inserting the phrase “Athletic Intelligence” into a celebrity‑filled ad, while Amazon cast an actor as someone who is paranoid about AI. A related commercial from its security‑doorbell subsidiary warned that the device could become part of a huge network of cameras, suggesting that people might not be comfortable with such surveillance.Another advertiser featuring an office‑show star promoted a future where AI would make work easier, without addressing whether that ease comes at a cost. Salesforce highlighted its AI chatbot in a short clip with a popular YouTuber, which felt out of place for the business audience it was meant to reach. Core AI firms struggled with clear storytelling. Google showed a family using AI‑generated images to calm a child about moving houses, while another startup aired a spot that seemed more like a critique of its competitor than an introduction to its own product. OpenAI, despite being well known for ChatGPT, focused on a programming tool in its ad; the message was exciting to developers but confusing for casual users. The result was a cluttered field of AI claims, where some messages were clear and others muddled. Viewers left the game unsure whether they should embrace AI or be wary of its growing presence in everyday products.