OpenAI Returns to the Super Bowl as the AI Advertising Race Heats Up

OpenAI, the artificial-intelligence company best known for its ChatGPT chatbot, is preparing to make a high-stakes return to the Super Bowl advertising stage, underscoring the intensifying competition among AI firms for both consumer attention and market dominance. According to people familiar with the plans, OpenAI will air a 60-second commercial during Super Bowl LX, marking its second consecutive year investing in what has become one of the most coveted advertising platforms in the United States.

Super Bowl advertising has long been among the nation’s most expensive and high-profile commercial opportunities, with 30-second slots this year reportedly commanding more than $8 million each. That price does not include the substantial sums companies invest in production and creative development, making a single commercial a multimillion-dollar bet on brand visibility.

For OpenAI, this return to the Big Game’s broadcast on NBC signals a bold marketing strategy amid rising competition and mounting pressure to retain its leadership in generative AI. Last year’s ad was the company’s first foray into paid advertising and represented a significant shift in how OpenAI approaches brand building. Instead of relying solely on organic growth from users drawn to ChatGPT’s capabilities, the company is now investing in traditional mass-marketing channels to broaden awareness beyond tech enthusiasts and early adopters.

This year’s Super Bowl campaign unfolds in the context of an AI arms race that now includes deep investment in traditional media by several major technology players. Google, Microsoft, Anthropic and Perplexity were among the companies significantly increasing their TV and digital advertising last year, with industry estimates showing that these firms collectively spent more than $333 million on linear television ads in the United States and $426 million on digital advertising in 2025—more than triple 2024’s figures.

Anthropic, an AI startup backed in part by Amazon and known for its Claude chatbot, began its own large-scale advertising campaign in late 2025, purchasing TV spots across major sporting events including NFL games, the NBA season and college matchups. These moves reflect the sector’s broader shift toward building recognizable consumer brands around AI tools and services.

Despite its extensive user base—reportedly more than 800 million weekly users—OpenAI faces meaningful competitive challenges. Google’s Gemini model, introduced late last year, has outpaced ChatGPT on several industry benchmarks, prompting OpenAI to accelerate updates to its own models to close performance gaps. Meanwhile, Anthropic has focused on expanding enterprise adoption of Claude, an approach that pits it directly against OpenAI in the lucrative business market.

Part of OpenAI’s advertising strategy this year appears aimed at repositioning artificial intelligence as not just cutting-edge technology, but a useful, everyday tool for non-technical users. In contrast to prior ads that framed AI as a monumental technological milestone, recent spots have emphasized relatable use cases—such as helping users find recipes or offering fitness and lifestyle tips—making the technology feel accessible and relevant to a broader audience.

This subtle shift in messaging reflects a wider challenge facing the AI industry: while adoption continues to grow rapidly, public sentiment toward AI remains mixed. Recent surveys suggest that about half of U.S. adults are more worried than excited about AI, citing concerns about job displacement, misinformation and ethical implications. Only a small fraction of respondents reported feeling more excitement than apprehension about AI’s impact on society.

OpenAI’s pivot toward practical, down-to-earth messaging in its advertising mirrors a broader industry trend. Competitors are also crafting narratives intended to ease public anxiety and redefine AI as a collaborative partner rather than a looming technological threat. Anthropic’s marketing for Claude, for example, uses the tagline “Keep Thinking”, emphasizing AI’s role in augmenting human cognition and creative problem-solving rather than replacing it.

The Super Bowl platform provides a unique opportunity for companies like OpenAI to reach tens of millions of viewers in a single moment, but it also places them in the midst of one of the most watched and culturally scrutinized advertising environments in the world. With consumers bombarded by flashy commercials from major brands across industries—from entertainment and consumer goods to financial services and automotive—AI companies face the dual challenge of capturing attention and clearly communicating what their technology means for everyday life.

For OpenAI, the continued investment in Super Bowl marketing underscores its belief that brand visibility and mainstream familiarity are crucial to long-term growth. The stakes are high: capturing the Super Bowl audience isn’t just about selling a product, it’s about shaping public perception of artificial intelligence at a time when its capabilities and societal impact are evolving rapidly.

Whether this high-profile advertising push will translate into sustained engagement or broader acceptance remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: AI companies are no longer content with niche tech sector recognition. They are now competing on one of the world’s biggest stages, seeking to define for the public what the next chapter of computing and human productivity will look like.