Anthropic jabs at OpenAI with Super Bowl ad – and hits a nerve
Anthropic will advertise at the Super Bowl that its AI Claude does not display ads. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reacts with annoyance.
(Image: Anthropic)
AI company Anthropic has released several commercials for the NFL championship game, primarily promising that no ads will appear in the responses of its in-house AI chatbot Claude. Without naming names, the Super Bowl ad also serves as a jab at its major competitor, OpenAI, as ads are set to appear in its ChatGPT this month. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has already responded, dismissing the commercials as misleading in a post on X that was over 400 words long. He also authoritatively calls Anthropic out, having received the advice, "Never respond to playful humor with an essay."
Advertising in AI or not?
The four one-minute clips each show two people talking to each other. The short waiting times before each response and the perfectly formulated answers make it clear that one of them is representing the answers of an AI chatbot. The person representing the AI then quickly integrates more or less relevant advertising, causing irritation to the other person. This is followed by the displayed text: "Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude." Altman now claims he laughed at the clips. However, he contradicts their central premise, stating that even with ChatGPT, ads will not be integrated into AI responses in this manner: "We're not stupid and know our users would reject that."
The clips and Altman's reaction point to a major debate currently taking place in the AI industry. While OpenAI has been preparing to integrate ads into ChatGPT for weeks, not only Anthropic promises to refrain from doing so. Google's AI chatbot and assistant Gemini also remains ad-free, the US company recently assured. Altman now claims that Anthropic can only afford ad-free operation because the company offers "an expensive product for rich people." However, OpenAI wants to offer AI tools to those who cannot afford them. Furthermore, Anthropic still controls what people can do with their tools. He calls this a "dark path."
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The Super Bowl is one of the most important sporting events worldwide. In its 60th edition on Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks will face the New England Patriots in Santa Clara, California. Outside the USA, the event is primarily known for its star-studded halftime show, with Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny performing this year. Before the game, punk rock band Green Day will perform. Due to the large television audience, advertising slots during the game are considered the most expensive in the USA, and many companies have spots produced specifically for it. Anthropic now also wants to benefit from this reach.
(mho)
