The Biggest Event Of The Year
On Feb. 9 2025, 127.7 million tuned into the 59th Super Bowl. The year before that was 123.7 million. In fact, the Super Bowl ranks 2-11 among the most-watched television broadcasts in American history, just behind the Apollo 11 moon landing. The Super Bowl is a cultural phenomenon for Americans. It is one of those things where you can strike up a conversation with anyone by just talking about the game last night. From the actual gameplay, to the halftime show, and the ads littered throughout.Â
And It’s an Advertisement
The ads between passes and plays used to steal the show. On Feb. 7, 2016, one of the most iconic Super Bowl ads to ever exist aired. Puppy Monkey Baby. This mix of pug, monkey, and baby had something we don’t see today. Advertisers were given complete creative freedom and a nearly unlimited budget, and made something completely new and entertaining. This year at the Super Bowl 60, there was something that felt different– more dystopian. Many companies have shifted their focus to AI capabilities, including these 9 ads in the Super Bowl 60:Â
Amazon Alexa– Generative AIÂ Â
Wix – Use AI to generate sitesÂ
Anthropic/ Claude– Generative AI.Â
Bas44 – Use AI to build apps.Â
GenSpark– Generative AI for workplaces.
Google Gemini – Generative AI
Co Pilot – Generative AI
Open AI/ ChatGPT– Generative AI
Ramp AI– Generative AI
Ring – Use AI to find missing dogs in the neighborhood.
Svedka– Used AI to create their commercial.Â
Why Could This Be Harmful
We are being fed AI propaganda. The two commercials that really left me with a strange feeling were Amazon’s Alexa and Ring ads. Featuring Chris Hemsworth, Amazon opted for an ad poking fun at those who are wary about AI. He states all the ways that an Alexa could plot your demise… and the commercial shows them happening. This is used to make those afraid of AI’s drawbacks look unjust in their fear, but they are 100% valid. In an Anthropic System card, they state that in extreme measures, the system can act in “self-preservation,” including “attempting to steal its weights or blackmail people it believes are trying to shut it down.” While this is an extreme case, they also state, “ In the final Claude Opus 4, these extreme actions were rare and difficult to elicit, while nonetheless being more common than in earlier models.” As these large language models progress, how common will issues like this be?Â
An ICE Scare
Amazon’s Ring doorbell opted for a heartfelt, family-oriented ad. Their ad titled “Search Party” left many viewers feeling the opposite. The ad showcases Ring’s AI recognition capabilities by showing how easy it would be to find a lost dog in the neighborhood through their new search party feature. Many have gone to social media, wary that this feature has a more sinister motive, assisting ICE. Even comparing it to George Orwell’s 1984 and its mass surveillance called “Telescreens.” Ring and its partner Flock have come out denying these claims outright, stating, “No. Flock does not work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or any other sub-agency of the Department of Homeland Security.”Â
The AI BubbleÂ
I have heard this term thrown around in conversation about AI, but what exactly does it mean? Penn Today describes a financial bubble as “when asset prices rise significantly higher than their fundamental value.” There has been a boom in AI over the last 5 years. It has entered our curriculum, Super Bowl, and homes. It is a rapidly growing industry with harsh side effects. Itay Goldstein, Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, says, “If something is growing very, very fast, it is probably also building up a lot of risks that we don’t fully understand.”Â
Technology and society are ever-changing, and with the speed of AI growth, who knows what’s in store for us next? With looming threats of an AI bubble burst and companies shifting their focus towards LLMs and AI, it is imperative for us to stay aware of its drawbacks.Â