The other day, I found myself in a discussion about the Super Bowl LX commercials, specifically how many of them used artificial intelligence (AI). I was asked for my opinion on those advertisements, and I argued that they weren’t only eerily executed but also not needed… at all.
The reply?
“Well, AI is going to take your job.”
For those of you who may not know, I’m a Digital Media Production major; video production is my bread and butter — it’s what I’ve been studying for the past four years. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this statement, and I doubt it’ll be the last, but the more I’ve analyzed that exact phrase, the more I’ve simply had to chuckle.
If AI is going to “take my job,” render all my skills useless, and force my degree to be nothing but a scrap of paper taken from an innocent tree, why are people like me still getting hired? Why are we still needed?
My reply?
“Not if I know how to use it.”
Super Bowl LX and AI… Let’s Clear the Air
From the “Good Will Dunkin’” ad de-aging Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to Ring’s creepy implementation of AI technology to search for lost puppies, AI ran rampant throughout the Super Bowl LX commercials.
According to iSpot, a TV advertising company, a quarter of this year’s advertisements featured AI; the presence of tech companies doubled since the last time NBC broadcast the game, which was back in 2022.
This isn’t the first instance of tech companies noting and financially betting on a technological trend; in fact, the Super Bowl of 2000, dubbed the “Dot-Com Bowl,” saw more than a dozen ad spots bought by various internet start-ups.
However, those websites shut down afterwards because their domains weren’t properly set. These ad spots were purchased by start-ups who believed adding “.com” to the end of their hypothetical site would grant them instant monetary success.
Despite that, why did this year feel more intense?
2026 isn’t attempting to repeat history; it’s redirecting it. Since these ad spots were purchased by established corporations like Meta Platforms and Amazon, they have the financial foundation to prosper regardless of artistic integrity and ethical consideration.
The CEO of Human Intelligence and former U.S. science envoy for AI, Rumman Chowdhury, noted that the push for “AI optimism” didn’t reflect society’s general distaste and concern for AI technology.
These companies propelling AI reflect their need to consolidate power; if we’re mindlessly reliant on technology for our everyday tasks, then there’s no need for us, right?
AI Can’t Trump Creativity
There’s a need for us; in fact, AI technology can’t replicate the creativity and complexity of human art. Apps such as Sora and LTX-2, while impressively illustrating quasi-realistic videos of various animals and celebrities (I must admit, the Jake Paul Sora clips had me giggling), are clearly AI-generated.
Relying on artificial hands to master or mirror human ideas is disregarding the difficulty of art. Whether it’s filmmaking, drawing, painting, or graphic design, creativity is a skill, and like any skill, it requires practice, patience, and care.
Telling someone they’re going to lose their job to a faceless, premature robot is a slap in the face to their everyday work and hard-earned craft.
However…
With that being said, I’m not arguing for the total isolation of AI, because let’s face it: it’s here to stay. Considering that large AI data centers consume up to 5 million gallons of water per day and threaten freshwater supplies, the ethical implications of AI usage should be addressed and corrected. Hopefully, we may enter a world where tech companies aren’t morally inept, but until then, we must remain both cautious and flexible.
Just as we were skeptical of the internet when it was first introduced, we eventually adapted; we’ll do the same here. There’s a stark difference between overreliance and dependence versus using AI as a copilot (pun intended).
For instance, during the early stages of The HCFSU Edit, the audio of a particular episode was peaking at the point of no return. Golden rule of video production: if your audio goes down, so does your project. In a panicked state, I turned to my co-chair, Kaley, and declared the episode to be unusable; she had different plans.
We relentlessly searched for solutions as we toyed with it in Adobe Premiere Pro until she stumbled upon an AI software called iZotope. Containing a feature that could miraculously resolve peaking, I grew increasingly desperate and decided to give it a try.
To our surprise, it worked and saved 85% of our episode (minus any laughing; evidence of a “ha” or “tee-hee” was sacrificed for the greater good of your ears and mine).
From that point forward, I realized two things:
1) AI isn’t in the driver’s seat; I am. It’s merely a passenger princess.
2) If I’m going to remain competitive in today’s job market, I must be ahead of the curve.
So, Are We Losing Our Jobs?
I know it’s looking bleak out there for those of us about to graduate as we attempt to carve a space in a shrinking workforce. Maybe this is pure optimism or blind resilience, but we can’t be replaced.
Creativity is a neglected skill essential for everyday life. It keeps us resourceful, eager to learn, and passionate about interpreting the world around us. Everything we produce is a reflection of our time and our collective conscience.
AI, whether we agree or not, is a part of it, but it doesn’t have to control it. Subtle fixes or inconvenient, minor tasks — AI can handle that, allowing you to do the important, meaningful work.
Technology serves to aid us, not replace us.
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