Major brands are technically capable of creating AI-powered Super Bowl ads today. However, they refrain due to a powerful social stigma. The fear of public backlash from a society anxious about AI's impact on jobs makes brands too risk-averse, similar to the stigma surrounding online dating in the early 2000s.
Unlike the tech industry's forward-looking nostalgia, Hollywood's culture is rooted in preserving traditional filmmaking processes. This cultural attachment makes the creative community view AI not just as a job threat, but as an unwelcome disruption to the established craft and order, slowing its adoption as a creative tool.
Incumbent brands often face backlash for using AI in ads for 'sacred' campaigns, as audiences have strong expectations. Challenger brands, however, can leverage AI to create novel, surprising content that defines their image without violating established norms.
AI leaders' messaging about world-ending risks, while effective for fundraising, creates public fear. To gain mainstream acceptance, the industry needs a Steve Jobs-like figure to shift the narrative from AI as an autonomous, job-killing force to AI as a tool that empowers human potential.
The speaker forecasts that 2026 will be the year public sentiment turns against artificial intelligence. This shift will move beyond policy debates to create social friction, where working in AI could attract negative personal judgment.
By framing its competitor's potential ads as a "betrayal," Anthropic's Super Bowl campaign reinforced the public's negative perception of AI as another manipulative tech scheme. This damaged the industry's overall reputation in a country already highly skeptical of the technology, turning the attack into friendly fire.
To prevent audience pushback against AI-generated ads, frame them as over-the-top, comedy-first productions similar to Super Bowl commercials. When people are laughing at the absurdity, they are less likely to criticize the technology or worry about its impact on creative jobs.
The "AI-generated" label carries a negative connotation of being cheap, efficient, and lacking human creativity. This perception devalues the final product in the eyes of consumers and creators, disincentivizing platforms from implementing labels that would anger their user base and advertisers.
Unlike the dot-com or mobile eras where businesses eagerly adapted, AI faces a unique psychological barrier. The technology triggers insecurity in leaders, causing them to avoid adoption out of fear rather than embrace it for its potential. This is a behavioral, not just technical, hurdle.
Unlike other tech rollouts, the AI industry's public narrative has been dominated by vague warnings of disruption rather than clear, tangible benefits for the average person. This communication failure is a key driver of widespread anxiety and opposition.
GaryVee predicts that widespread public fear of job loss due to AI will create a negative sentiment towards brands that visibly use it in advertising. This consumer backlash, which has already affected brands like McDonald's, will cause a 24-36 month pullback from AI in major campaigns, despite the technology being ready.