Business
AI companies pour big money into ads
Samuel Boivin | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Artificial intelligence companies are playing their biggest role yet at the Super Bowl, with all the major AI players buying ads to showcase their tools – both for consumers and for businesses – to the expected audience of as many as 130 million people.
This year’s Super Bowl ads cost a record $8 million on average for a 30-second spot, with some priced as high as $10 million, plus more to produce the ads. Deep-pocketed tech giants and startups alike are seizing the opportunity to be part of the national conversation.
A battle started the week before the big game when Anthropic’s Claude debuted an ad skewering OpenAI’s decision to include ads in ChatGPT. That ad triggered a response from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman that drew even more attention to the campaign. OpenAI will be returning to the Super Bowl ad slate this year after its debut campaign – a 60-second spot – last year.
But it’s not just Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and Altman facing off: All the major AI players are buying time in the big game. The campaigns are taking the place of some big advertiser categories, including automakers, which are pulling back.
Google is running ads for the second year for Gemini AI after promoting its AI-powered features the prior two years: the Pixel’s “Guided Frame” and “Magic Eraser.”
Amazon is leaning into concerns about AI in the home with a spot for Alexa+ featuring actor Chris Hemsworth expressing some comedic concerns about the risks of AI. And Meta, rather than promoting its chatbot like other tech companies, is returning with spots for its Oakley Meta AI glasses, which give access to its AI tools.
A number of smaller AI companies are also buying Super Bowl spots to introduce their products to a broad audience.
Startup Genspark is marketing its AI productivity platform, with an ad featuring Matthew Broderick. Base44 is showcasing its AI-powered app development tool, saying anyone can use its products to create custom apps. And Wix, known for its tools to create websites, will showcase its new Harmony platform, which uses AI to enable web design.
Another one of those smaller AI companies, Artlist.io, is showcasing its AI tools for consumers by putting the tech at the center of its 30-second spot. The entirely AI-generated ad boasts that it was purchased a week ago and created for just a few thousand dollars in just five days.
It’s one of a range of companies, including those that have nothing to do with technology, that used AI to create their ads this year.
Svedka Vodka is running an ad this year for the first time in decades after a ban on campaigns for liquor. (Absolut is also running a big game ad.) Svedka is bringing back its Fembot character that appeared in its ads in the early 2000s, this time backed by AI trained on TikTok dances.
Other AI uses will be more subtle: Xfinity used AI to digitally de-age the cast of Jurassic Park for a new commercial.
With commercial production costs for a Super Bowl ad typically starting at $1 million, and generally running far higher — celebrities can charge millions of dollars for a cameo, for example — the response to this year’s Super Bowl ads could have major implications for how these high-profile ads are produced.
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Milano Cortina 2026’s Winter Olympics opening ceremony unfolded Friday as a bold, geographically ambitious spectacle titled “Armonia” (Harmony), weaving live performances across San Siro Stadium, Cortina d’Ampezzo and beyond into a narrative celebrating Italy’s dual urban-mountain soul. The nearly three-hour show blended La Scala-inspired dance, global superstars like Mariah Carey and Laura Pausini, and dual cauldron lightings, though fragmented execution, political boos and protest interruptions tempered its grandeur.
Directed by Marco Balich with a Giorgio Armani fashion homage, the ceremony innovated by distributing athlete parades across four clusters — Milan (indoor), Cortina (Alpine/sliding), Livigno (freestyle) and Predazzo (Nordic) — ensuring all 3,000+ competitors participated despite vast distances. Critics hailed the simultaneity as “intimate and enormous,” but some found it disjointed, lacking traditional cohesion.
Dual cauldrons ignite across Italy: A first for Olympics
In a historic twist, two Olympic cauldrons blazed simultaneously: Milan’s Arco della Pace and Cortina’s Piazza Dibona, symbolizing city-mountain unity. Supermodel Vittoria Ceretti, in all-white Armani, carried the torch from San Siro to ignite Milan’s flame via “magic of technology,” while Cortina’s lit remotely — a logistical marvel marred by elongated sequences.
The multi-venue parade replaced single-stadium marches with live feeds: ice skaters in Milan, snowboarders in Livigno, biathletes in Predazzo. Television editing fluidly integrated segments, creating “four ceremonies in one,” though live crowds felt the fragmentation. U.S. athletes drew massive cheers at San Siro, only for boos to erupt during Vice President JD Vance’s brief appearance — a tense moment swiftly cut away.
‘Armonia’ theme: Beauty over politics, but protests intrude
“Armonia” promised a “voyage through art and innovation,” honoring Leonardo da Vinci, Italian design and Olympic ethos. Ethereal dancers opened with La Scala nods — marble busts, flowing choreography — evoking tranquility before escalating to time-travel motifs and massive bobbleheads. Actress Matilda De Angelis narrated, tying fragmented acts into harmony’s promise.
Mariah Carey kicked off with hits, joined by Grammy/Golden Globe winner Laura Pausini and tenor Andrea Bocelli from Tuscany. Production designer Paolo Fantin and music director Andrea Farri delivered visual feasts — ice-block banners, fashion-sports uniforms — though Deadline critiqued “gimmicks over glamour” in the flame-lighting finale.
Protests disrupted: anti-Olympic banners decried housing costs, Palestinian solidarity chants pierced whistles. Organized rather than chaotic, they underscored Italy’s civic pulse amid global tensions.
Parade of Nations: Distributed drama delights, divides
Fragmenting the traditional parade minimized travel while showcasing venues. San Siro hosted urban nations; Cortina mountain squads. Graphics aided viewers, but stadium pacing dragged — “seemingly endless procession,” per IndieWire.
U.S. flagbearers received roars; host Italy closed to “Il Canto degli Italiani.” IOC President Thomas Bach’s farewell preceded LA 2028 handover.
Critics praise innovation, critique cohesion
The Guardian (4/5 stars): “Intimate and enormous… less march of nations, more curated narrative mirroring distributed sports.”
Deadline: “Three hours, three acts lacked unity beyond visual devotion… historic spectacle, per Malagò.”
IndieWire: “Weirdness in short supply, but harmony attempts shone in editing.”
Variety: “Somber tone, stringent security for 2.2B viewers; dual flames wowed.”
Global audience hit billions; Peacock/NBC streamed live.
Day 1 medals await: Shiffrin, Chen, Kim in spotlight
Saturday yields five golds: men’s downhill (Bormio, 5:30 a.m. ET), women’s skiathlon (Val di Fiemme). Nathan Chen eyes figure skating three-peat; Chloe Kim defends halfpipe; Mikaela Shiffrin chases records.
Hosts Italy (130 athletes) bank on Federica Brignone, Sofia Goggia. Russia as AIN; China fields Eileen Gu.
Production triumphs and logistical feats
Balich Wonder Studio executed Balich’s vision: da Vinci inventions, culinary nods, youth segments. Armani costumes fused elegance-sports; Cantini Parrini’s designs dazzled. San Siro’s 75,000 roared; remote venues pulsed simultaneously.
Security — drones, robots, thousands of officers — shielded dignitaries including Vance, Rubio. Sustainability shone: 99% legacy venues.
What ‘Armonia’ means for Olympics future
Milano Cortina pioneered polycentric ceremonies, influencing LA 2028, Brisbane 2032. “Harmony” — uniting disparate elements — resonated amid division, though execution split opinions.
Malagò called it “promise to the world”; Varnier hailed inclusive athlete participation. From San Siro spectacle to Cortina flames, Italy delivered innovation — if not unalloyed unity.
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OTTAWA—Further interest-rate cuts won’t necessarily help an economy that’s being pulled down by U.S. trade friction, advances in artificial intelligence and lower population growth, Bank of Canada Gov. Tiff Macklem said Thursday.
The Canadian economy is undergoing a profound structural shift, Macklem said. The central bank can help support the transition, but it’s ultimately the response from policymakers, business executives and households that will determine Canada’s future prosperity, Macklem said in a speech delivered in Toronto, the country’s financial-nerve center.
Copyright ©2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Luxury Sydney retailer Cosette has announced that it will close after 11 years in business.
The announcement, which was shared by the retailer online, also shared that the company will hold an Australian Warehouse Sale to offload remaining stock.
Cosette Announces Closure
Cosette likewise took the opportunity to explain the surprising decision to close its doors for good.
“Unfortunately, the market has changed and we – rather than our mission to make luxury more affordable, every day – were sometimes the story,” the retailer said in its statement. “So, after careful consideration, we have made the decision to close our Sydney warehouse and operations in the near future.”
The retailer has been known for selling pre-owned and authenticated luxury handbags and accessories. However, as news.com.au notes in its report, Cosette was at the center of controversy in 2024 when it was accused of selling fake designer handbags.
Investigations eventually cleared Cosette as it found no evidence to support such claims.
Australian Warehouse Sale
As previously mentioned, Cosette also announced that it will be holding an Australian Warehouse Sale.
The retailer will offer up to 80% off RRP on some luxury brands, such as Saint Laurent, Gucci, Prada and Celine.
There will also be an additional 10% off sitewide, which will be applied at checkout.
“Limited quantities, limited time,” Cosette said in its announcement. “All bags are priced to clear and will not be restocked.”
MEXICO CITY—The Bank of Mexico left its benchmark interest rate unchanged Thursday, pausing after 12 consecutive cuts to assess the inflationary impact of recent tax and tariff increases.
The five-member board of governors voted unanimously to leave the overnight interest-rate target at 7.0% in their first monetary policy meeting of the year. The pause was widely expected.
Copyright ©2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
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