OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded sharply after Anthropic’s Super Bowl ads appeared to mock how advertising might work inside ChatGPT. While Altman admitted on X that the commercials were funny, he accused Anthropic of being misleading by suggesting that ChatGPT would manipulate conversations to insert ads.

Altman said ads in ChatGPT will be clearly labeled, separated from conversations, and designed to support free access for millions of users. However, OpenAI has also said ads may be shown based on conversation context, a point central to Anthropic’s critique.

The exchange escalated when Altman accused Anthropic of being “authoritarian,” a remark that drew criticism for overstating a rivalry that was sparked by a tongue-in-cheek advertising campaign.