If you tuned into Super Bowl LX expecting a quiet evening of tactical football and a few lighthearted beer commercials, I hope you had your digital seatbelt fastened. While the Seattle Seahawks were busy dismantling the New England Patriots with a surgical 29:13 victory at Levi’s Stadium, the real battle was happening in the six minute gaps between the action.
The 2026 edition of the Big Game has already been christened the “AI Bowl,” and for good reason. Gone are the days of crypto kings promising us the moon with a QR code. This year, the Silicon Valley titans didn’t just buy airtime; they attempted to rewrite the cultural script on what it means to be human in an increasingly automated world. From robot dance-offs to Chris Hemsworth fearing for his life at the hands of a smart speaker, the commercials of 2026 were a fascinating, occasionally unsettling, and undeniably expensive look at our immediate future.
The halftime disruptor: Benito’s world
Before we dive into the silicon and circuitry, we have to talk about the man who actually stole the show. Bad Bunny, our beloved Benito, didn’t just perform; he staged a takeover. In a performance that felt more like a cinematic ode to Puerto Rican resilience than a corporate halftime slot, he reminded everyone that “America” is a continent, not just a country.
+ Read more: Bad Bunny’s cultural impact: How Latin music is reprogramming the global mainstream
With surprise appearances by Lady Gaga, who performed a salsa version of “Die With a Smile,” and a set that featured everything from sugarcane fields to an actual house party, the “Benito Bowl” served as a vibrant, human counterpoint to the high tech onslaught of the commercial breaks. It was a reminder that while AI can generate a thousand images of a beach, it can’t quite replicate the sweat, history, and raw joy of 130 million people dancing to “Gasolina.”
The main event: a breakdown of the AI onslaught
But back to the bots. The advertising landscape this year felt like a high stakes chess match between the world’s biggest tech firms. Here are the highlights and the lowlights from the intervals that had everyone reaching for their phones.
Svedka: the return of the Fembot
Svedka decided to lean directly into the “uncanny valley.” Their 30 second spot, “Shake Your Bots Off,” was marketed as the first major commercial generated almost entirely by artificial intelligence. It featured the return of the iconic and somewhat divisive Fembot, now joined by a companion named Brobot.
The two mechanical party goers navigated a human bash with a level of fluidity that was both impressive and slightly “creepy,” which was a word that trended on social media within minutes. It was a bold choice to use AI to sell alcohol, essentially saying that if the world is going to be run by machines, you might as well have a drink.
Meta & Oakley: extreme specs
Meta opted for a more practical, applied approach to tech. Partnering with Oakley, they showcased their latest smart glasses designed for extreme sports. The ad was a high octane montage featuring the likes of IShowSpeed and legendary filmmaker Spike Lee.
The message was clear: don’t just live the moment; stream it hands free to Instagram. It was less about the “metaverse” and more about how AI can subtly enhance our physical reality, though seeing a streamer backflip while their glasses narrate the comments section might be a bit much for the casual hiker.
OpenAI: the “builder” narrative
OpenAI, the current heavyweight champion of the sector, took a surprisingly sentimental route. Their 60 second spot focused on “human curiosity.” It began with a child tracing a cobweb and followed that spark of wonder through a lifetime of creation, eventually showing people coding and building robots alongside ChatGPT.
It was a masterclass in rebranding. By positioning AI as a tool for the hero, the human builder, they tried to soothe the collective anxiety about displacement. It was the “Macintosh 1984” for the generative era, making it less about the machine and more about what you do with it.
Anthropic: the anti-ad jab
In what was easily the most “inside baseball” moment of the night, Anthropic, the creators of Claude, used their multimillion dollar slot to throw shade at OpenAI. Their commercial featured a series of surreal, slightly uncomfortable scenes where an AI assistant suddenly begins promoting doubtful products to the user.
The punchline was sharp: “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude.” It was a direct reference to OpenAI’s rumored plans to integrate advertising into ChatGPT. For the average viewer, it might have been confusing, but for the tech literate, it was a declaration of war over the soul of the digital assistant.
Amazon: Alexa+ vs. Thor
Amazon brought the star power with Chris Hemsworth. In a comedic thriller themed script, Hemsworth becomes increasingly paranoid that his new Alexa+, now powered by a much more capable, sentient sounding model, is conspiring against him.
The ad effectively showcased the new assistant’s ability to plan complex travel and manage a smart home, but it did so by leaning into our deepest fears about domestic surveillance. It was funny, sure, but a little too close to home for anyone who has ever had their smart speaker go off in the middle of a silent room.
Google: the Nano Banana Pro
Google’s entry, “New Home,” focused on their Nano Banana Pro image generation model. The narrative followed a mother and son using AI to visualize their new, empty house as a fully furnished, personalized sanctuary using nothing but text commands.
It was a classic “Google tearjerker” aimed at making technology feel like a warm hug. It succeeded in making the tech look incredibly accessible, though some critics pointed out that the AI perfect living room lacked the charming clutter of a real life.
The efficiency experts: AI in the office
The fintech and SaaS worlds didn’t miss out on the action either. They traded sentimentality for high-concept humor.
Ramp
They tapped into our collective nostalgia by casting Brian Baumgartner, known as Kevin from The Office. In the ad, Kevin uses Ramp’s AI to multiply himself to handle accounting tasks. Seeing a dozen Kevins running around an office is exactly the kind of chaotic energy the Super Bowl was made for.
Rippling
Comedian Tim Robinson brought his signature frantic energy to show how AI can automate HR. It was loud, it was weird, and it perfectly illustrated that the future of work might just be letting the bots handle the boring stuff while we focus on our own eccentricities.
Wix
They introduced Wix Harmony, a platform that builds entire websites through natural language conversations. The promise is “zero to launched” in the time it takes to order a pizza. It is a terrifying prospect for web designers, but a dream for the side hustle generation.
Ring
Perhaps the most heartwarming use of the tech, Ring showcased “Search Party.” This feature uses AI and community camera networks to find lost pets. Watching a young girl reunite with her dog, Milo, provided a much needed dose of “tech for good” that felt grounded in reality.
Hims & Hers
Taking a swing at the longevity obsessed elite, Hims & Hers used their slot to promote MedMatch. Their AI system aims to democratize personalized healthcare, making high level medical recommendations accessible to those who don’t have a billionaire’s budget for biohacking.
The public verdict: innovation or “slop”?
Despite the billions spent, the reaction on social media was a mixed bag. For every tech enthusiast marveling at Svedka’s AI visuals, there was a viewer lamenting the loss of real advertising. The term “AI slop” was tossed around frequently, particularly when ads felt a little too disconnected from human emotion or featured that telltale digital sheen.
Industry experts noted a distinct fatigue settling in. Last year was the “Crypto Bowl,” and we all know how that ended. This year, the pressure on these AI companies to prove they are more than just a passing fad was immense. While the technology is undeniably more useful than a digital monkey image, the uncanny nature of some visuals left a sour taste for a segment of the audience.
According to a quick sentiment analysis from the usual suspects like Ad Age, the ads that performed best were those that used AI to solve a human problem. Ring’s pet finding feature resonated because it felt useful. In contrast, the purely generative ads, like Svedka’s robotic party, felt like they were showing off technology for the sake of it, rather than telling a story that people actually cared about.
Final thoughts: the human element
As the fireworks cleared over Santa Clara and the Seahawks hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, the takeaway from Super Bowl LX was clear. AI is no longer a future concept; it is the current operating system of our culture. However, the standout moments, like Bad Bunny’s flags, Lady Gaga’s vocals, and even a simple Levi’s ad focused on the iconic human form, proved that we still crave the tangible.
AI can generate the script, the images, and even the actors, but it hasn’t yet figured out how to generate the soul. Next year, perhaps we’ll see a bit more balance. But for now, we live in the world of Alexa+ and Fembots. Just make sure to keep an eye on your smart speaker, as Hemsworth might be onto something.
