Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, reacted strongly to a series of Super Bowl commercials launched by Anthropic, calling them misleading and even accusing the rival AI company of being “authoritarian.” The ads, which aired as part of a broader campaign, were designed to highlight concerns about the future of AI chatbots and the potential for advertising to infiltrate user conversations. One ad opens with the word “BETRAYAL” in bold, showing a man asking a chatbot—clearly modeled after ChatGPT—for advice on how to talk to his mother. The chatbot, portrayed as a blonde woman, gives generic suggestions like listening more and going on a nature walk, before abruptly pivoting to promote a fictional cougar-dating site called Golden Encounters. The ad ends with a punchline: while ads are coming to AI, they won’t be coming to Claude. Another spot features a young man seeking advice on building a six-pack. After sharing his stats, the chatbot recommends height-boosting insoles—again, a product with no real connection to the conversation. The humor is clearly aimed at OpenAI’s recent announcement that it plans to introduce ads in the free tier of ChatGPT. Altman admitted on X (formerly Twitter) that he laughed at the ads, but quickly turned serious. He wrote a lengthy post condemning them as dishonest, arguing that they misrepresented how OpenAI’s ad system would work. He insisted OpenAI would never insert ads in a way that manipulates or disrupts a conversation, especially with inappropriate or off-color products. OpenAI has stated that any ads will be clearly labeled, placed at the bottom of responses, and only appear when relevant to the conversation. The company emphasized that the ads will not influence the chatbot’s answers. Still, the idea of context-aware, conversation-specific ads is at the heart of Anthropic’s satire—and the source of Altman’s frustration. In his post, Altman also accused Anthropic of serving an expensive product to wealthy users, claiming OpenAI is more committed to making AI accessible to billions. But this argument is weakened by the fact that both companies offer free tiers. Claude’s pricing includes $0, $17, $100, and $200 plans, while ChatGPT’s free tier is followed by $8, $20, and $200 options—making the pricing structures very similar. Altman went further, claiming Anthropic is “authoritarian” for restricting certain uses of its AI, such as blocking access to Claude Code for companies it deems undesirable. He also suggested the company tells users what they can and can’t do with AI. While Anthropic has long championed responsible AI and has stricter content policies—such as blocking adult content—so does OpenAI. Both companies enforce usage guidelines, including for mental health and safety. Calling a competitor “authoritarian” over a Super Bowl ad, especially in the current global climate where the term carries serious weight, comes across as hyperbolic and out of proportion. The ads were clearly meant to be satirical, not literal. Yet they struck a nerve, revealing how intense the rivalry between the two AI leaders has become.