OpenAI aired its first-ever Super Bowl ad this year. The 60-second spot showcased a unique animation that took viewers through pivotal technological milestones. It emphasized ChatGPT’s practical applications, such as drafting business plans and offering multilingual tutoring.
The ad comes as OpenAI faces increasing competition in the AI sector. The company has ambitious targets of reaching a $300 billion valuation and generating $11.6 billion in revenue this year. The campaign seeks to position ChatGPT as an essential tool for everyday users.
OpenAI’s new Chief Marketing Officer, Kate Rouch, led the creative direction of the ad. It took an innovative approach by using AI-generated visuals for the final product. The ad likened AI’s transformative potential to that of fundamental human inventions.
The timing of the ad is noteworthy. It follows Google’s decision to pull an AI-generated Olympics ad after facing backlash over its emotionally charged tone. With its Super Bowl debut, OpenAI showcased the practical applications of ChatGPT.
It also underscored the pivotal role of human artistry in the digital age. Rapper Kendrick Lamar headlined the Super Bowl LIX halftime show on February 9, 2025. The event was held at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
The Kansas City Chiefs faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles. Lamar, a 22-time Grammy Award-winning artist, was announced as the headliner in a promotional video by the NFL, Apple Music, and Roc Nation. In the video, Kendrick said, “My name’s Kendrick Lamar and I’ll be performing at Super Bowl LIX.
Will you be pulling up? I hope so.”
This wasn’t Lamar’s first Super Bowl performance. He previously participated in the 2022 halftime show alongside Snoop Dogg, Mary J.
Blige, Eminem, and 50 Cent. The 2025 halftime show saw Lamar joined by special guests SZA and Mustard. Actor Samuel L.
Jackson, wearing an Uncle Sam outfit, made appearances throughout the performance. Tennis star Serena Williams also joined in, dancing alongside Lamar. Other performers also shined.
Jon Batiste, a Grammy and Academy Award winner, performed the national anthem. Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle performed “America the Beautiful.” Actor Stephanie Nogueras provided the American Sign Language interpretation for both songs.
OpenAI’s first big game spotlight
Otis Jones IV delivered a moving performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in American Sign Language. The halftime show featured powerful moments that resonated with the audience. It illustrated that the Super Bowl is more than just a football game.
It’s a cultural phenomenon that brings together music, sports, and social commentary. The Super Bowl concluded with the Philadelphia Eagles dominating the Kansas City Chiefs with a score of 40-22. The year 2025 will be remembered as the year artificial intelligence dramatically shifted the tech landscape.
Companies like Google, Meta, Salesforce, and GoDaddy have all made significant strides in AI. However, OpenAI’s recent moves highlight a particularly aggressive push to redefine our digital experiences. OpenAI’s first Super Bowl ad, a $14 million spot, underscores its messaging that AI will fundamentally change the world.
The ad portrays a historical timeline of technological advances, culminating with AI as the next major leap for humanity. Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, has written about how advances in AI could allow people by 2035 to marshal intellectual capacities equivalent to the combined genius of everyone in 2025. Like its competitors, OpenAI promises to automate significant parts of the workforce.
It frames its efforts within the context of broad societal impacts. The Super Bowl ad’s goal is to raise awareness of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s prominent AI product, and encourage its use among a broader audience. While global discussions on the macroeconomic implications of AI continue, companies like OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and Perplexity are in a clear battle for customers.
This competition centers around what tech insiders refer to as “the Box” — the most valuable real estate in computing where users start their searches on phones and computers. Historically, Google’s search box has been dominant. It is integrated into the most popular browser and supported by partnerships that funnel users through its search engine.
This dominance has been incredibly lucrative for Google. However, OpenAI aims to challenge this hegemony by integrating its own AI capabilities into search functionalities. OpenAI’s chat-based interface, ChatGPT, initially emerged as a tool for answering questions and generating content, with some overlap with traditional search engines.
However, it has since evolved. The latest iteration of the product, dubbed SearchGPT, acts as both a chatbot and a search engine, positioning it as a direct competitor to Google’s search functionalities. This evolution includes the possibility of a new browser from OpenAI, further cementing its intent to control that critical interface.
The company has reportedly discussed integrating its search capabilities into websites for travel, food, real estate, and retail — industries ripe for AI-driven innovation. Meanwhile, other tech giants like Meta (formerly Facebook) and Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) are similarly embedding AI into their search interfaces. Google, defending its position, continues to integrate AI into its search results.
The real fight in the tech industry, beyond the promises of AI overhauling society, is about control of the Box — the simple, yet powerful, search bar where users type their queries for everything from recipes to symptoms. While the Box might not be artificial general intelligence (AGI), the control over it remains a lucrative and influential domain in the tech landscape.
