What a chaotic AI-generated TV commercial tells us about where content creation is heading
It’s only been a few weeks since Veo 3 launched, and we’re already seeing AI-generated content hit prime-time TV.
Earlier this month, the betting platform Kalshi aired a completely AI-generated ad during the NBA Finals, a surreal, nonsensical 30 seconds featuring cowboys, chihuahuas, aliens chugging beer, and someone swimming in a pool of eggs. The voiceover speculates on what people might be betting on: egg prices, hurricanes, and which teams are in the finals.
Absurd? Yes. But it also cost just $2,000 to make — and that should make every content team sit up and take notice.
According to creative director Tom Accetturo, the entire process took one person about 2–3 days to complete. Using Gemini to draft a script and generate prompt-ready shot lists for Veo 3, he produced around 300–400 clips to extract just 15 usable shots. The final edit was assembled using CapCut and Adobe Premiere Pro.
That’s a 95% cost reduction compared to a traditional TV ad. Not by cutting corners — but by changing the nature of the production process altogether.
Right now, this sits firmly in the “can we?” phase of AI video creation. The novelty is the point. The weirdness is the brand. But it’s also a clear signal that generative video is no longer just a social experiment or a speculative tool — it’s entering mainstream channels, fast.
For those of us working in comms, marketing or content strategy, that raises a few big questions:
- How do we define production value in a world where chaos is deliberate and polish is optional?
- Where’s the line between creative risk and reputational risk?
- And if this is what one person can produce in a weekend, what happens when this capability becomes widely accessible?
What I’m thinking about
As someone who leads content creation in a resource-conscious environment, I’m not about to suggest we swap out our campaigns for surrealist egg-pool chaos. But we are rapidly approaching a point where video production becomes as fast, iterative and accessible as writing. When that happens, and it’s closer than most think, the challenge won’t be how polished something looks, but whether it’s credible, purposeful and trusted.
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