Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, acknowledged that Anthropic’s latest ads targeting ChatGPT were humorous but criticized them as misleading and deceptive. The ads, which debuted online Wednesday and are set to air during the Super Bowl, feature a fictional chatbot character that abruptly interrupts conversations to push products—such as suggesting insoles to appear taller after a user asks for help getting a six-pack. The campaign, which avoids naming OpenAI or ChatGPT directly, carries the tagline: “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude.” Altman admitted he found the ads funny, writing on X that he laughed while watching them. “First, the good part: they are funny, and I laughed,” he said. However, he quickly shifted to criticism, questioning why Anthropic would promote such a clearly dishonest portrayal of OpenAI’s approach. “But I wonder why Anthropic would go for something so clearly dishonest,” he wrote. He emphasized that OpenAI has no intention of inserting ads into conversations in the way depicted. “Our most important principle for ads says that we won’t do exactly this; we would obviously never run ads in the way Anthropic depicts them. We are not stupid and we know our users would reject that,” Altman said. Altman stressed OpenAI’s mission to make AI accessible to billions, not just those who can afford premium subscriptions. While OpenAI offers ChatGPT plans ranging from free to $200 per month, Anthropic’s Claude plans go from free to $100 per month. OpenAI also noted that more Texans use ChatGPT for free than the total number of people using Claude across the entire U.S., highlighting what Altman described as a fundamental difference in user base and business model. “Anthropic serves an expensive product to rich people,” he said, suggesting the company’s audience is more affluent and less focused on broad accessibility. Altman also teased that OpenAI will run its own Super Bowl ad, one that will celebrate creators and the power of AI to empower anyone to build anything. The message is expected to contrast sharply with Anthropic’s approach, focusing on inclusivity and innovation rather than critique. Anthropic did not respond to a request for comment.