Svedka is making its Super Bowl debut with an $8 million, 30-second commercial. Originally retired in 2012, their sleek, high-tech mascot, Fembot, returns alongside a new companion, Brobot, and a troupe of human dancers. Sazerac, which bought Svedka in 2024, announced the ad was “created by humans in partnership with robots (aka artificial intelligence).” A teaser shows how, despite being AI-generated, all of the dance moves were based on human choreography. The brand held a contest to find a dance, and the winner was a 23-year-old Nashville resident named Jessica Rizzardi. To pre-empt backlash, Sara Saunders, chief marketing officer at Sazerac, noted that the message of the ad was “ultimately pro-human,” further evidenced by Brobot short-circuiting at the end of the commercial.

Given that social media users are readily calling out hidden AI-generated posts, it makes sense that Svedka was transparent about its AI usage. But reactions have been mixed, with one X user stating, “Creativity [is] automated, authenticity just became premium.” With 53% of Americans saying they feel AI will worsen people’s ability to think creatively, Anthropic has launched a campaign reframing AI as a creative thinking partner. While anti-AI purists are unlikely to condone any use of AI, it’s clear that AI usage has to feel cohesive, balanced and contextually relevant. For instance, musician Timbaland faced backlash for his AI-generated music video because AI usage felt unnecessary and like a threat to musical creativity. In contrast, Svedka’s commercial may work because AI usage feels not only balanced with human-centric themes but also like a natural fit, given Svedka’s established robotic and high-tech branding.