- Anthropic launched Super Bowl ads criticising AI ads, promoting Claude as ad-free and trustworthy
- Anthropic warns ads could bias AI, especially on sensitive health or professional queries
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has accused Anthropic of dishonesty and defended their ad-supported model
Has Anthropic dropped its own version of 'Not Like Us'? In a vibe-coding and Big Tech version of the Kendrick and Drake spat, Silicon Valley is now currently split by a fundamental question, brought to them by the AI rivals: Can an AI be a 'trusted advisor' if it's also a salesperson? While OpenAI prepares to flip the switch on advertisements to fund its 'intelligence for everyone' mission, Anthropic is betting everything on the opposite path, and it is leveraging the world's biggest sporting stage, the SuperBowl, to troll OpenAI, without naming it.
As OpenAI moves to monetize its massive user base, Anthropic, the well-funded challenger founded by former OpenAI executives, has launched a high-stakes marketing offensive. Their message? Claude is for thinking; ChatGPT is for selling.
Here's what's going down in the OpenAI vs Anthropic advertisement war.
Anthropic's High-Stakes Jab
In a series of four commercials released ahead of Super Bowl LX, Anthropic took aim at the "sponsored" future of AI. One 30-second spot, titled "How Do I Communicate With My Mom?", depicts a user seeking emotional advice from a fictional AI, only to be interrupted by a jarring ad for a dating service. Another features a fitness query that veers into a pitch for shoe insoles.
The campaign's tagline is a clear line in the sand: “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude.”
In a blog post accompanying the ads, Anthropic framed its decision as a matter of user trust. "We want Claude to act unambiguously in our users' interests," the company stated. They argue that profit incentives from advertisers could "skew" the helpfulness of the AI, especially during sensitive queries regarding health or professional workflows.
While Anthropic admits they may "revisit" this approach in the future, the Super Bowl campaign cements their current identity as the "clean" alternative to a cluttered ChatGPT.
OpenAI's Counter-Strike
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman didn't take the parody sitting down. In a post on X, Altman called the Anthropic campaign "clearly dishonest" and accused the rival firm of "doublespeak."
"We would obviously never run ads in the way Anthropic depicts them," Altman wrote. "We are not stupid and we know our users would reject that." Altman's defense centers on OpenAI's mission of "broad access." In January, OpenAI confirmed that ads are coming to ChatGPT Free and the new $8/month "ChatGPT Go" tier. The company maintains these ads will be:
- Clearly labeled and separated from the AI's core responses.
- Contextual, appearing at the bottom of the chat window based on the conversation.
- Restricted, with no ads shown to minors or appearing near sensitive topics like politics and mental health.
Altman framed the debate as a class struggle, suggesting that Anthropic serves an "expensive product to rich people," whereas OpenAI is using an ad-supported model to bring AI to billions who cannot afford a $20 monthly subscription.
The "SaaSpocalypse"
While the CEOs trade barbs over commercials, the market is reacting to a deeper shift in the industry. The rivalry intensified this week as Anthropic released its Claude Cowork platform, featuring a suite of 11 automation tools—including a "Legal Plugin" capable of reviewing contracts and briefs.
This release triggered what some are calling the "SaaSpocalypse." Global tech equity markets saw a massive $285 billion erosion, with Indian IT giants like Infosys and Wipro seeing shares tumble by as much as 8%. Investors fear that as AI moves from a 'chatty assistant' to an 'autonomous digital workforce,' the traditional business model of human-led IT services is under existential threat.
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