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Artificial intelligence dominated the commercial breaks during Super Bowl 60, disrupting a tradition better known for humor and celebrity-driven spectacle.

AI services or features appeared in 23% of the game’s advertisements. Companies and products promoted included Google Gemini, OpenAI, Claude, Ring doorbells and Meta. OpenAI’s commercial showed students and workers using the technology to complete tasks more quickly.

The surge reflected AI’s expanding role in everyday life. A 2025 Pew Research Center study found that 73% of Americans said they would use AI at least a little each day.

Sophomore Rana Toosi said the concentration of AI advertising became more apparent as the game continued and people discussed the commercials online.

“I didn’t notice the amount of AI related ads at first, but it got to a point where it was hard to ignore, especially when I was scrolling on social media after the game,” Toosi said. “I was a bit surprised because Super Bowl ads are supposed to be funny.”

Some students acknowledged that AI can make work more efficient while warning that routine dependence could weaken critical-thinking skills.

“I agree that AI is a helpful tool but if we all depend on AI for all of our assignments, we just become lazier and our ability to function normally is messed up,” sophomore Anya Petrunko said. “We shouldn’t use AI for everything because then it becomes counterproductive.”

Sophomore Leyla Ozden was especially concerned by commercials depicting people turning to chatbots for simple tasks.

“Something that stuck out to me was how people in the ads were asking chatbots things that don’t require critical thinking,” Ozden said. “Some of the ads appealed to people who are tired of thinking which kind of ruined the tradition of the Super Bowl ads this year… for me.”

The commercials presented AI as an appealing everyday tool despite continuing criticism of its environmental costs, effect on jobs and use in schools and workplaces. Ozden said the positive portrayals could prevent younger viewers from considering those concerns.

“I don’t like how the companies romanticized AI in the ads,” Ozden said. “Many people, especially in the younger generations, won’t even think about the harmful effects for one second.”

For Petrunko, the advertising blitz underscored how quickly occasional AI use can develop into dependence.

“The ads reminded me of the extreme over-reliance on AI and how it is unfortunately a growing issue in the world,” Petrunko said.