Why ChatGPT still can’t write a Super Bowl commercial

ChatGPT—arguably the most recognizable AI platform—has come a long way since launching just over a year ago. But marketers are still nowhere near giving it the keys to their Super Bowl ads. “I would have a sleepless night before [the game],” said Andy Bird, partner and chief creative officer for Publicis Groupe creative studio Le Truc, when imagining if the spot he was working on depended on an AI platform. Super Bowl commercials Tracking the latest brand and agency plans Enter here The ad industry has flocked to AI tools to upgrade numerous aspects of their businesses, and while ChatGPT has shown promise, especially with copywriting and image generation, creative limitations and legal uncertainties are preventing it from playing any pivotal role on advertising’s biggest night. Marketers’ hesitation could signify a much-needed temperature check for a technology that is prone to excessive hype, despite posing numerous risks that have demanded the attention of both trade associations and the White House. In-fighting at the companies developing AI models has added more reason for clients to proceed with caution. Super Bowl advertising has also become a time for prudence, despite the mind-boggling costs for a 30-second spot, roughly $7 million for this year’s game. Brands continue to lean into content that is trusted but homogenous, such as celebrity appearances; they rather risk laying an egg than face any chance of one landing on their faces. This conservative approach does not lend itself to a reliance on experimental technology like AI. “ChatGPT is a good place to start, but not a good place to end,” said Bird, who thinks the stakes of the Super Bowl are simply too high for generative AI platforms. Marketers need the freedom and space to fail and learn from their mistakes when playing with these tools, he added—a sentiment often echoed by members of the ad industry that are using AI internally rather than for consumer-facing work. Look back: ChatGPT imagines Super Bowl ads for 2023 game That virtually every agency is using AI to some extent means that these platforms could still be incorporated at some stage in the development process of a Super Bowl ad, said Jay Pattisall, VP and principal analyst at Forrester. “But on its own, in an autonomous fashion—absolutely not,” he said. ChatGPT’s creativity still doesn’t compare to that achievable by humans, said James Young, executive VP and head of digital production for BBDO, North America, which is working on M&M’s Super Bowl commercial. For the most part, brands still relegate AI-generated work to the realm of stunts, wherein the imperfections of the creative are often its main point. Burger King, for instance, crafted a Halloween campaign in France around the creepy ways that AI characterizes people eating its burgers. Young also alluded to the unremarkable “sheen” that many AI-generated images seem to have—a kind of hyper-realistic glossiness that is almost felt viscerally before perceived consciously, similar to the uncanny valley effect in robotics. “If someone uses a generative AI tool [to create their ad], I bet you’ll be able to tell,” he said. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Legal minefield Even if ChatGPT was creatively capable of handling the weight of a Super Bowl spot, legal obstacles would still prevent most advertisers from relying on the technology, Young said. Uncertainties abound regarding licensing and copyright, given that AI models train on a plethora of protected information on the internet. A test conducted by The New York Times last week demonstrated the extent to which another popular tool, Midjourney, produced content in violation of existing copyright. The New York Times has sued OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, for this very reason, as have numerous writers and actors. In its executive order on AI safety issued in November, the Biden administration omitted any substantial directives regarding these issues. This has left industries such as advertising uncertain as to when to expect action on the policy level. BBDO won’t use certain AIs to create any consumer-facing creative, said Young, out of fear that doing so could be infringing on someone’s intellectual property. Technology providers are beginning to offer indemnification policies, such as Adobe for its Firefly platform and Amazon for its new suite of enterprise tools, but this approach is imperfect and largely seen as a stopgap. Amazon, for example, did not disclose how it received permissions from copyright owners, nor the kinds of datasets it uses to train some of its models. Another potential sticking point with particular relevance to Super Bowl ads is that AI may not mix well with celebrity talent. The acting community has been particularly concerned with how AI could be used to exploit their likeness and create digital twins that would circumvent fair compensation. The fear played an important role in the protracted SAG-AFTRA strike last year. In November, Scarlett Johansson sued an AI app for using her likeness in an advertisement without her permission. Such a blatant rip-off has little chance of occurring in a Super Bowl ad, given the rigorous system of sign-offs required by clients, the network (in this case CBS) and the NFL. Yet the mere idea of appearing in a spot powered by AI could be a non-starter for some celebrities, said Le Truc’s Bird. Related: Top 5 AI activations of 2023 Super Bowl 2025? The marketers who spoke with Ad Age showed little optimism that generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT are even close to carrying the weight of a Super Bowl ad on their own. The hesitation feels like a timely pail of cold water on arguably the hottest technology in recent memory. Advertisers have evangelized AI as much as anyone, which has inadvertently stoked fears that bots are on the verge of replacing agency admins and even assuming the bulk of creative duties. This outlook seems unlikely given how marketers currently view the technology, which is as an aid in the early stages of ad development, at best. BBDO has used AI in its Super Bowl work to convey ideas to clients, Young said, but those ideas are still mainly fleshed out by humans. Le Truc didn’t use the technology at any stage in its own Super Bowl efforts, said Bird. Marketers are figuring out ways to enable AI to handle “an appreciable portion of the creative development process,” said Forrester’s Pattisall. Production company Tool, for example, has created ad-ready assets for Under Armour to use on social media. But the pressure of the Super Bowl—one of advertising’s most prized possessions—still feels too strong for technology that could use more testing in the field. Put in another way: “I wouldn’t put my family in an autonomous vehicle,” Pattisall said.

Why ChatGPT still can’t write a Super Bowl commercial

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