February 10, 2025 – During the 59th annual Super Bowl, artificial intelligence company OpenAI, developers of ChatGPT, aired their first television advertisement.
The Super Bowl, the annual championship game of the National Football League in the United States, akin to the “Spring Festival Gala” for Americans, garners immense attention and serves as a prime advertising slot for major brands.
OpenAI’s 60-second advertisement positioned AI as one of humanity’s greatest innovations. Utilizing a minimalist, dot-based animation, the ad traced the evolution of human technology, from early tools like fire and the wheel to modern advancements like DNA sequencing and space exploration.
The advertisement culminated with a showcase of modern AI applications, featuring ChatGPT handling everyday tasks such as drafting business plans and providing language tutoring. Reportedly, the cost of airing this advertisement during the first half of the Super Bowl was approximately $14 million.
Under the leadership of Kate Rouch, OpenAI’s first Chief Marketing Officer, the advertisement intentionally steered clear of mentioning AGI or superintelligence, instead focusing on the practical uses of AI. “We want this advertisement to be relevant to Super Bowl viewers, including the tens of millions who might not be familiar with AI,” Rouch told The Verge, noting that roughly 130 million people viewed the advertisement.
Founded in 2015, OpenAI rose to fame after launching the popular chatbot ChatGPT at the end of 2022. Despite achieving notoriety almost without paid advertising, OpenAI now faces competition from multiple fronts, including tech giants like Google. Following in the footsteps of its competitors, who advertised AI during last year’s Super Bowl, OpenAI has now begun a strong marketing push.
