Key facts
- OpenAI ran an advertisement titled "Time to Fly" during Game 1 of the Knicks vs Spurs NBA Finals.
- The advertisement promoted OpenAI's AI coding tool, Codex.
- A hidden minigame, a "cosmic logic puzzle game about orbital rotation," was included in the ad.
- Players who found the game online could win free AI tokens (credits).
- The supply of free tokens has since been depleted, but the game remains playable.
OpenAI recently aired an advertisement titled "Time to Fly" during Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs. The ad was promoting OpenAI's AI coding tool, Codex. Eagle-eyed viewers discovered that the advertisement contained a hidden minigame, a "cosmic logic puzzle game about orbital rotation," accessible online. Players who found and completed the game were eligible to win free AI tokens, which are used to measure computing costs for AI products. Several users posted on X (formerly Twitter) about winning these tokens, with one user sharing a "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" screen indicating a $1,000 token award. While the promotional tokens have run out, OpenAI has confirmed that the "Time to Fly" game is still playable, allowing users to compete on a leaderboard. The trend of "tokenmaxxing," driven by the popularity of AI tools like OpenAI's Codex and Anthropic's Claude Code, has also raised concerns about AI costs and budgeting.