‘What could possibly go wrong?’: Ring’s Super Bowl ad backfires as left and right unite against ‘terrifying’ surveillance tech

Ring, the home security company owned by Amazon, unveiled a new AI-powered feature during the Super Bowl that immediately set off a wave of backlash. The commercial, which aired during Super Bowl LX, drew rare criticism from both sides of the political spectrum, with viewers raising serious concerns about privacy and mass surveillance.

The feature, called “Search Party,” allows pet owners to upload a photo of a missing dog or cat into the Ring app. Once activated, Ring says the image is shared across participating outdoor cameras in the surrounding neighborhood. Those cameras then use AI to scan for visual matches and alert the owner if a potential sighting is detected.

In the ad, a Ring spokesperson claimed the feature has already helped reunite families with their pets, saying Search Party has found “more than a dog a day” since its rollout. The commercial leaned heavily into emotional moments, showing relieved owners and happy reunions designed to highlight the technology’s positive impact. According to Mediate, many people weren’t convinced. 

Both political sides see the same privacy nightmare

The technology needed for this feature raises serious privacy concerns. People immediately understood this wasn’t just about finding lost pets. It creates a massive, always-on visual search system across entire neighborhoods.

The rare, united backlash from both sides of the political aisle underscores just how unsettling this technology feels to the public. While Ring’s Super Bowl ad leaned heavily on emotional stories about lost pets and happy reunions, many viewers quickly grasped the bigger picture.

The criticism came from both the left and right, which is unusual for digital privacy debates. Conservative commentator Stephen L. Miller called the commercial “propaganda for mass surveillance.” The Super Bowl broadcast also featured other controversial moments, including Trump’s reaction to Bad Bunny’s performance. Former New York City comptroller Brad Lander, a Democrat, warned “they can do this to anyone.” He added, “That’s terrifying.”

People across the political spectrum worried about Ring using this AI technology for purposes beyond finding missing pets. The idea of linking neighborhood cameras for automated searching disturbed many viewers.

GOP strategist Brady Smith called the Super Bowl ad “awfully dystopian.” He then asked, “What could possibly go wrong?” Meanwhile, the White House also made headlines during the game with an AI-generated Super Bowl video.

The united reaction from both sides shows how troubling this technology feels to the public. Despite Ring’s emotional appeal about lost pets, people understood this represents a major step toward widespread surveillance. The feature gives a corporation the ability to conduct automated, real-time tracking across entire communities.