OpenAI CEO and Founder Sam Altman has criticized AI developer Anthropic after it released a series of Claude commercials allegedly mocking OpenAI and other AI competitors.
The four commercials, with one expected to air during Super Bowl LX on Sunday, used language to imply that its competitors would use users’ personal information for marketing purposes.
Anthropic said the campaign was intended to reinforce its commitment to keeping Claude free of advertising, after OpenAI announced plans to introduce ads on its own platform.
In a post on X yesterday, Sam Altman said the way Anthropic’s commercials depicted OpenAI and other competitors was misleading, calling its advertising techniques “dishonest”.
“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,” he affirmed.
“I guess it’s on brand for Anthropic doublespeak to use a deceptive ad to critique theoretical deceptive ads that aren’t real, but a Super Bowl ad is not where I would expect it.
“We care a great deal about safe, broadly beneficial AGI, and we know the only way to get there is to work with the world to prepare.”
The Anthropic Campaign
With rumors rising around the soon-to-be released Claude Sonnet 5, users instead woke up yesterday to an Anthropic campaign, mocking its competitors by using jarring and satirical language in its ads to illustrate the absurdity of using personal information for advertising on AI platforms.
The four adverts feature human embodiments of AI assistants acting as trusted advisors and mentors, each asking the user for their personal information and then begin pitching products to them based on the context given.
The adverts all conclude with the tagline: “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude”, while titling each advert with words such as “Deception” and “Betrayal”.
Anthropic’s campaign highlights a common fear that by introducing advertising incentives into AI platforms could lead to unpredictable results in AI behavior.
Introducing Codex
These adverts come just a few days after the launch of OpenAI’s application and coding tool, Codex, providing “builders” with a central hub for agentic coding.
Altman used the product launch later in the post to contrast with Anthropic’s choice to block access to their coding products, committing to provide broad access to users across numerous budget types.
“We are enjoying watching so many people switch to Codex,” Altman continued.
“There have now been 500,000 app downloads since launch on Monday, and we think builders are really going to love what’s coming in the next few weeks. I believe Codex is going to win.
“This time belongs to the builders, not the people who want to control them.”
Anthropic's Response to Advert-Free Approaches
On Wednesday, Anthropic released a statement reaffirming its decision to not use advertisements on its Claude platform.
