Tech ads took over Super Bowl LX – watch every AI ad

From ChatGPT to Starlink to the mysterious AI.com, tech brands transformed Super Bowl LX into a full-scale tech takeover – pouring millions into ads meant to shape how we live, work, and connect in an AI-driven future.

The game, played on Sunday, February 8, 2026, saw the Seattle Seahawks defeat the New England Patriots 29-13 in front of 127 million viewers – the largest audience in Super Bowl history, according to Nielsen.

But between touchdowns and Bad Bunny’s controversial halftime show, another battle unfolded: AI platforms, connectivity giants, and emerging tech brands fought for cultural dominance in 30 to 60-second ads that cost from $8 to $10 million per slot. The consensus: Most failed, some triumphed.

From OpenAI and Anthropic's staking leadership claims to Musk's satellite Wifi pitch for outlying internet infrastructure, this is how the first "AI Bowl" takeover unfolded – quarter by quarter.

First quarter – Setting the tone early

When it comes to Super Bowl commercials, placement can matter as much as the content itself. The first quarter and immediately after the halftime show are considered peak times, reports Adweek.

Still, as early slots deliver visibility, they don’t always guarantee maximum exposure, as viewers are still settling in and attention hasn’t fully locked in.

Amazon – Alexa+

Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, the first celebrity-driven ad of the night, imagines Alexa as an all-powerful mastermind – only for the assistant to prove it’s simply helpful.

• Concept: Humor and AI paranoia: Scary Good
• Message: Alexa+ is actually helpful and convenient in everyday life
• Viewer verdict: "An ad that makes you not buy alexa?" - @howfxr

Wix – AI creative tools

The commercial shows entrepreneurs and developers building websites and apps using Wix’s AI-driven tools, such as Harmony and Base44, highlighting speed, simplicity, and a streamlined build process.

• Concept: Fast-paced app building powered by AI automation.
• Message: AI accelerates creation without replacing the creator.
• Viewer verdict: Some viewers praised the clarity, others said it felt more like a product demo. "Maybe if you spent more time improving your product, people wouldn’t be so disappointed with your company." - @ArielGatoga

Genspark – AI workspace platform

The ad, featuring actor Matthew Broderick, frames Genspark as the AI assistant that helps manage workflow and daily distractions.

• Concept: AI stepping in to make everyone's workday easier: You take Monday off!
• Message: Let AI take the overload so humans can work less.
• Viewer Verdict: "Let Genspark do your work and take a day off. Maybe the week. Maybe just stay home and collect unemployment." - @tomleonard830

Second quarter – Peak attention, maximum impact

Second quarter placements sit just before halftime – the most competitive stretch for advertisers. Viewers are fully engaged, and brands that land here often aim for cultural relevance, not just visibility.

OpenAI – ChatGPT

OpenAI rolled out a polished 60-second spot showcasing ChatGPT woven into daily life – from work tasks to creative projects to problem-solving in real time., also highlighting its newly launched Codex desktop app. A hidden Easter Egg also offered free Codex merch to those who noticed at about 45 seconds in.

• Concept: We build the tools. You build the future. Start building with Codex.
• Message: ChatGPT isn’t experimental – it’s already part of everyday modern life.
• Viewer Verdict: “Soundtrack a song from a movie [sic] about the post apocolypse. OpenAI are blind to irony.” - @ElroyFisher, referring to the theme song to 28 Years Later. “Like posting a picture of the Death Star ahead of the GPT5 release.” - @marverati

Anthropic – Claude

One of the most talked-about tech ads of the night, Anthropic’s debut 1-minute ad depicted a user seeking help from an AI – only to be repeatedly interrupted by intrusive ads, taking a not-so-subtle dig at rival ChatGPT.

• Concept: Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude.
• Message: Claude offers a cleaner, ad-free alternative.
• Viewer Verdict: "Thats a clear and achievable goal" is the most chatgpt line ever" - @leonardonorato8412, "They didn’t have to go this hard but they did it lmao" - @SlavicRacing

Ring – Doorbell camera

Ring’s Super Bowl ad spotlighted its AI-powered video doorbell technology as a neighborhood-based security network, showcasing its new "Search Party" feature for lost dogs, which became free to the public last week.

• Concept: Neighborhood bands together to help find a missing dog.
• Message: Community + tech = smarter home security. Be A Hero In Your Neighborhood.
• Viewer verdict: "Are we really supposed to believe that the main intent for this is lost pets." - @whatintheworldhaha, "Smart way to gaslight people in mass surveillance." - @jayruben6082, "I don’t think there is a better possible ad to get rid of your ring camera." - @TheVikingrBear

Third quarter – Storytelling and emotional reset

After halftime, attention resets. This coveted spot is said to often see brands leaning into narrative, warmth, or creativity to connect with viewers.

Google – Gemini

Google’s “New Home” ad showed a mother using Gemini to help her son imagine moving into a new house, generating images and answering questions along the way.

• Concept: AI as a supportive family helper.
• Message: Gemini is your personalized AI assistant for learning, planning, creating, and getting things done.
• Viewer verdict: "Don't do this with my heart (crying emojis) awesome video awesome technology (heart emojis)" - @natanclassic

Svedka – AI-generated creative

Although technically a beverage spot, the vodka brand aired a neon-lit spot featuring animated robot characters dancing in a club scene – a commercial largely produced using generative AI, and a sure harbinger of things to come in the ad space world.

• Concept: SVEDKA held a contest in early December, asking Instagram and TikTok users to submit choreography for its revived Fembot, then paying the 23-year-old winner $10K to train the AI.
• Message: Generative technology can power full-scale advertising.
• Viewer Verdict: "AI can generate ads in seconds but it still can't fake human soul" - @ErhijakporOvie

Fourth quarter – Late-game buzz

Fourth-quarter placements depend heavily on how close the game is, but they can drive just as strong visibility and post-game buzz if the ad hits just right.

Meta – Ray-Ban AI glasses

Partnering with Oakley performance sunglasses, Meta’s spot teased its AI-powered wearable glasses, featuring high-powered visuals and celebrities, including former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch (Beast Mode), director Spike Lee, streamer iShowSpeed, skateboarder Sky Brown, and golfer Akshay Bhatia.

• Concept: Athletic Intelligence Is Here, aired in two parts.
• Message: AI smart glasses showing hands-free photo capture, voice prompts, and augmented overlays integrated into daily life.
• Viewer Verdict: "So a phone on your eyes? I'm sorry but this is cringe, just trying to keep people addicted to screens. When I'm running yeah I listen to music but LOOKING at my phone and everything while I'm running isn't fun to me." - @blackjack-zf5hq

Starlink – Global connectivity

Elon Musk and Starlink’s first-ever Super Bowl ad showcased satellite imagery and remote communities gaining internet access, continuing to position the company as a global champion of expanding internet infrastructure.

• Concept: Internet infrastructure without borders.
• Message: Fast, affordable internet. Available all around the world!
• Viewer Verdict: "Genius targeting strategy: Reach all of rural America in a 30s ad and show maximum relevance to the group -- fast affordable internet." - @austntatiously

AI.com – AI agent platform

Finally, the ad that broke the internet – literally. The AI.com commercial positioned the $70 million domain as a central gateway to artificial intelligence, urging viewers to visit the URL with the promise of creating their own private, deployable AI agent. The surge in post-game curiosity was so intense that the site crashed almost immediately under record traffic.

• Concept: Capture attention, trigger curiosity, and drive viewers to type in the domain.
• Message: Claim your handle. Launch your ai.
• Viewer Verdict: "They had money for a super bowl ad but apparently not enough to buy enough server bandwidth." - r/BetterOffline

Noticeably absent from all the Super Bowl commercial mania this year were tech behemoths Microsoft, Apple, and Nvidia.