A bizarre, fast-cut commercial that aired during the NBA Finals is sparking serious conversations in the advertising world, not just for its strange visuals, but for how it was made.
Created entirely with AI in just three days for $2,000, the ad promoted prediction platform Kalshi and marked one of the first times a national TV spot was produced almost entirely by generative technology.
How AI cuts costs
Filmmaker PJ Accetturo used Google’s Veo 3, a new text-to-video generator, to create the footage. From a man in a pink crop top shouting basketball predictions to a farmer floating in a pool of eggs, the ad leaned into chaotic imagery to reflect Kalshi’s theme: betting on an unpredictable world. Instead of hiring a full production crew, Accetturo worked alone using a script co-written with Gemini and ChatGPT, then ran 300–400 prompt generations to land on 15 usable clips.
Kalshi said it originally considered traditional production but found quotes in the six- to seven-figure range. That’s where AI made the difference—not just in cost, but in speed. The 8-second scene limits of Veo 3 encouraged a montage format, keeping the ad high-energy and on-theme. While the process saved time and money, Accetturo emphasized that effective AI output still depends on skilled creative choices.
AI and advertising
This experiment highlights a turning point for digital marketing. With tools like Veo 3 becoming more accessible, PPC agency and in-house teams offering Google Ads management are likely to adopt AI workflows to meet demand for faster, cheaper, and more engaging ad content.
The future of advertising is shifting toward agile, small teams able to produce viral campaigns quickly. But even as AI streamlines production, taste, originality, and humor will remain the defining edge in making ads people want to watch.
