Anthropic, an AI company, has released a new ad that is best described by Homer Simpson’s famous quote: “It’s funny because it’s true.”
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Anthropic chose the Super Bowl to make a simple point about where AI is headed and what users may not want. In the ad, a normal chat turns awkward when advice suddenly becomes a sales pitch. The message is clear and easy to grasp. Ads may soon appear inside AI chats, but Claude will not include them.
This was not said by name, but the target was clear. OpenAI recently confirmed it plans to test ads inside ChatGPT. At the same time, OpenAI is also running its own Super Bowl commercial. Anthropic used that moment to draw a clear line between two paths in AI.
A Clear Business Choice
Anthropic says its goal is to stay aligned with users rather than advertisers. Andrew Stirk, head of brand marketing, said the company wants to be a “different choice” based on values and business model. Later in the ad, the screen reads, “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude.”
The company expanded on that view in a blog post this week. Anthropic said it wants to remain “unambiguously” aligned with users. It also warned that once ads are added, they tend to grow over time as revenue goals shape product design.
Daniela Amodei, president and co-founder, went further. She said placing ads directly into AI chats would be “exploitative” because users often share personal and medical details. She added that Anthropic may give up some revenue as a result.
The Market Angle Investors Are Watching
Meanwhile, the money behind AI ads is growing fast. Brands are expected to spend $2.08 billion on AI search ads in the U.S. this year. That figure could rise to $25.93 billion by 2029, according to eMarketer. Last year alone, AI companies spent $333.6 million on U.S. TV ads, up 43%, while digital ad spend more than tripled to $426 million.
30 seconds of Super Bowl airtime now costs more than $8 million. That does not include production costs, which can reach tens of millions more. Anthropic is clearly willing to pay for attention while arguing that AI chats should stay ad-free.
Still, the company left the door open to other ad models beyond the chat itself. That detail matters for long-term revenue plans. For now, however, Anthropic is betting that trust and focus will matter more as AI becomes part of daily work.
Regardless, OpenAI has said ads will not affect answers and will be clearly labeled. It also stated that users can opt out of ad targeting and that sensitive topics will not be shown ads.
As AI use keeps rising, this split may shape how users and businesses choose their tools. Anthropic is using humor to make that choice feel simple.
We used TipRanks’ Comparison Tool to compare notable traded companies that employ chatbots similar to ChatGPT, Grok, and Claude. It’s an excellent tool to gain a broader perspective on each stock and the AI industry as a whole.
