AI Takes Center Stage at Super Bowl LIX: From Robot Dancers to Tech Titans’ Feuds

The 2026 Super Bowl wasn’t just about football—it was a showcase of how deeply artificial intelligence has penetrated mainstream advertising. Following last year’s AI-heavy commercials, this year’s Big Game ads took the technology to new heights, using AI both to create the commercials themselves and to promote cutting-edge AI products. From vodka-swigging robots to tech billionaires trading barbs, the intersection of AI and advertising created some of the most memorable moments of the night.

Svedka: The First “Primarily” AI-Generated Super Bowl Ad

Vodka brand Svedka made history with what it claims is the first “primarily” AI-generated national Super Bowl spot. The 30-second commercial, titled “Shake Your Bots Off,” featured the company’s iconic robot character Fembot alongside her new companion Brobot, dancing their circuits out at a human party.

According to Sazerac, Svedka’s parent company, the ambitious project took roughly four months to complete. The team had to reconstruct the Fembot character and train AI systems to mimic realistic facial expressions and body movements. However, Svedka was transparent about the human involvement, noting that creative decisions like storyline development remained in human hands.

The company partnered with AI creative agency Silverside to bring the vision to life. Silverside has made waves in the advertising world recently, having created the controversial AI-generated Coca-Cola commercials that sparked heated debates about the role of AI in creative industries.

The decision to go all-in on AI for such a high-profile advertising slot was undeniably bold. The Super Bowl is known for its star-studded, high-production-value commercials, making Svedka’s AI-heavy approach a lightning rod for discussion about whether artificial intelligence will eventually replace human creative professionals.

Anthropic: When AI Ads Get Personal

Anthropic’s commercial for its Claude chatbot wasn’t content with simply showcasing product features—it took direct aim at competitors. The ad cleverly highlighted Claude’s ad-free nature with the tagline “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude,” taking a pointed jab at OpenAI’s announcement that it would introduce advertisements to ChatGPT.

Rather than focusing purely on technical capabilities, the commercial used humor to illustrate the potential downsides of ad-supported AI assistants. It depicted scenarios where helpful AI could suddenly transform into an unwanted salesperson, pitching products like “Step Boost Maxx” insoles at inopportune moments.

The cheeky approach worked perhaps too well. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded on social media, calling the ad “clearly dishonest” and accusing Anthropic of misrepresenting the situation. The exchange escalated into a rare public feud between tech executives during one of television’s most-watched events, creating a buzz that extended far beyond the commercial break.

This AI-focused drama became something of a cultural moment, with observers noting that while we didn’t get another Kendrick Lamar-Drake rap battle, we did witness a uniquely nerdy version of celebrity beef playing out in real-time on social media.

Meta: Smart Glasses for the Extreme

Meta showcased its Oakley-branded AI glasses, designed specifically for sports, workouts, and adventure activities. The commercial featured thrill-seekers pushing boundaries in extreme scenarios—from skydiving to mountain biking to the dramatic image of chasing down a departing airplane.

The ad featured recognizable personalities including streamer IShowSpeed and filmmaker Spike Lee, demonstrating the glasses’ capabilities through real-world applications. Viewers saw hands-free Instagram posting, slow-motion basketball dunk recordings, and other advanced features that highlighted the device’s versatility.

This marked Meta’s second consecutive year featuring its wearable AI technology in Super Bowl advertising. The 2025 commercial had starred Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth, and Kris Jenner showing off Ray-Ban Meta glasses, indicating the company’s commitment to establishing AI wearables as mainstream consumer products.

Amazon: Alexa+ Gets Darkly Comedic

Amazon took a decidedly different approach with its Alexa+ commercial, casting Chris Hemsworth in a satirical storyline about AI paranoia. The commercial leaned into common fears about artificial intelligence through dark humor, with Hemsworth’s character becoming increasingly convinced that Alexa+ was plotting against him.

The scenarios grew progressively absurd—Alexa+ closing the garage door on Hemsworth’s head, shutting the pool cover while he swam—each mishap more ridiculous than the last. This comedic approach served a dual purpose: it acknowledged and played with public anxieties about AI while simultaneously introducing viewers to Alexa+’s enhanced capabilities.

The timing was strategic. Amazon had offered Alexa+ in early access for over a year before officially launching the upgraded assistant to all U.S. users on the Wednesday following the Super Bowl. The commercial positioned Alexa+ as not just smarter, but more capable of managing everything from smart home devices to vacation planning.

Ring: AI-Powered Pet Reunions

Ring’s commercial spotlighted its “Search Party” feature, which leverages AI and community networking to reunite lost pets with their owners. The emotionally resonant ad followed a young girl searching for her dog Milo, demonstrating how users can upload a pet’s photo to the app and let AI work to identify matches across nearby cameras and the broader Ring user community.

In a significant expansion, Ring recently announced that anyone can now use Search Party, even without owning a Ring security camera. According to the company, the feature has already helped reunite more than one lost dog with its owner every day, making it not just a technological achievement but a genuinely useful community service.

Google: Dreaming in AI

Google’s commercial showcased Nano Banana Pro, its newest image-generation model, through a relatable scenario: a mother and son using AI to envision and design their new home. The ad followed them as they uploaded photos of empty rooms and transformed them into personalized spaces with just a few prompts.

This approach made advanced AI technology feel accessible and practical, demonstrating how image generation could solve everyday problems rather than existing as an abstract technological achievement. The commercial positioned Google’s AI not as a novelty but as a helpful tool for life’s transitions and decisions.

Ramp: Kevin Malone Meets AI Automation

Ramp scored a touchdown by recruiting Brian Baumgartner—the actor who played Kevin in “The Office”—for its Super Bowl commercial. In the spot, Baumgartner uses Ramp’s AI-powered spend management platform to “multiply” himself, effortlessly tackling a mountain of work through smart automation.

The ad cleverly referenced Baumgartner’s TV persona, showing him carrying a pot of chili in homage to Kevin’s legendary scene where he brings his cherished recipe to share with coworkers, only to disastrously spill the entire pot on the floor. This blend of nostalgia and modern technology created a memorable commercial that resonated with both fans of the show and business professionals.

Rippling: Alien Onboarding with Tim Robinson

Rippling, the cloud-based workforce management platform, made its Super Bowl debut with a commercial featuring comedian Tim Robinson. The spot took a humorous approach to HR challenges, depicting the onboarding process for an alien monster while highlighting how Rippling’s AI automation could simplify even the most unusual hiring scenarios.

The absurd premise served as an effective metaphor for the complexities of workforce management, with Robinson’s signature comedic style making potentially dry subject matter entertaining and memorable.

Hims & Hers: Healthcare Access with a Side of Satire

Health company Hims & Hers used its Super Bowl spot to address disparities in healthcare access while taking subtle jabs at the extreme lengths the wealthy go to for health and longevity. The commercial appeared to reference Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin spaceflight and Bryan Johnson’s famously expensive anti-aging routines, contrasting these exclusive approaches with Hims & Hers’ more accessible solutions.

The company has recently launched an AI-powered “MedMatch” tool to deliver more personalized treatment recommendations, particularly for mental health and wellness. The Super Bowl ad positioned this technology as democratizing access to quality healthcare recommendations.

Wix: AI Website Building Gets Personable

Website builder Wix spotlighted its new AI-powered Wix Harmony platform, promising website creation as easy as chatting with a friend. Unveiled in January, the flagship platform combines AI-driven creation with “vibe coding” alongside full visual editing and customization capabilities.

The commercial emphasized the conversational nature of the new platform, suggesting that users could build professional websites through natural dialogue rather than technical expertise. This positioning aimed to make web development feel accessible to everyone, not just those with coding skills.

Wix’s main competitor, Squarespace, also ran a Super Bowl ad this year with a markedly different approach. Squarespace’s commercial starred Emma Stone and was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, taking a more cinematic and artistic direction compared to Wix’s tech-focused messaging.

Tags: #SuperBowlLIX #AIinAdvertising #ArtificialIntelligence #TechAds #SvedkaAI #AnthropicClaude #MetaSmartGlasses #AmazonAlexaPlus #RingSearchParty #GoogleNanoBananaPro #RampAI #RipplingHR #HimsAndHers #WixHarmony #SiliconValleyFeud #TechDrama #AIControversy #FutureOfAdvertising

Viral Phrases: “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude” “Shake Your Bots Off” “AI is out to get me” “Multiply yourself with AI” “Dream your home into reality” “Onboarding an alien monster” “Healthcare for the 1% vs. everyone else” “Website building as easy as chatting with a friend” “The nerdy version of rap beef” “Robots dancing at human parties” “AI-powered pet detective” “Darkly comedic AI paranoia” “Smart glasses for extreme adventures”

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