ChatGPT Super Bowl ad made by humans eases AI fears (of ads not made by humans)

The Super Bowl LVIII marked OpenAI‘s first venture into Super Bowl advertising with a commercial for ChatGPT, reaching an estimated 130 million US viewers. The 60-second spot, costing approximately $14 million, used artistic animation to trace humanity’s technological evolution.

Creative approach and execution: The commercial, titled “The Intelligence Age,” employed black-and-white pointillism-style animation to chronicle human innovation throughout history.

• Beginning with a single pulsing dot, the narrative progresses through pivotal inventions like fire, space exploration, and the internet, before culminating with artificial intelligence
• The entire commercial was created by human artists and designers, deliberately avoiding the use of AI tools in its production
• While OpenAI’s tools like Sora were used to prototype ideas, they were not incorporated into the final advertisement

Strategic messaging: OpenAI’s Chief Marketing Officer Kate Rouch emphasized practical AI applications over futuristic concepts to make the message more accessible to a broad Super Bowl audience.

• The commercial aimed to connect with viewers who might be unfamiliar with AI technology
• The narrative positioned AI as a natural extension of human innovation rather than a replacement for human creativity
• Rouch described the advertisement as “a celebration of human creativity and an extension of human creativity”

Broader campaign integration: The television spot was part of a coordinated marketing effort to shape public perception of AI technology.

• OpenAI’s CEO simultaneously published a blog post discussing artificial general intelligence (AGI) and its potential benefits for humanity
• The timing of both initiatives suggests a deliberate strategy to reach different audience segments through various channels

Reading between the lines: The decision to create the advertisement without AI tools, despite OpenAI’s advanced capabilities, sends a subtle but significant message about the company’s perspective on human-AI collaboration.

• This choice appears to address concerns about AI replacing human creativity
• By showcasing human artistry, OpenAI positions its technology as complementary to, rather than competitive with, human innovation
• The substantial investment in Super Bowl advertising indicates OpenAI’s commitment to mainstream market presence and public education about AI technology