AI Driven NBA Finals Ad Costs $2,000 and Takes Days to Create

Imagine tuning into the NBA Finals only to be greeted by a surreal, glitchy montage of an elderly cowboy juggling a chihuahua, someone diving into a pool of eggs, and an alien chugging beer. That’s not a fever dream—it’s a fully AI-generated ad that cost just $2,000 and took days to make.

A $2,000 AI Gamble

Kalshi, the event-derivative betting platform, decided to ride the AI hype straight into prime time. Using Google’s new text-to-video generator, Veo 3, the team produced this off-kilter spot to highlight bets ranging from which team will win the Finals to how many hurricanes will form this season and whether eggs will spike in price.

Behind the Scenes with Veo 3

AI filmmaker PJ Accetturo broke down the process: he fed Gemini prompts to generate shot lists, then ran 300–400 “generations” in Veo 3 to pick 15 usable clips. All told, one person, 2–3 days—about a 95% cost reduction compared to a traditional TV spot.

Why Brands Are Betting on AI

• Radical cost savings—produce ads for a fraction of traditional budgets
• Unmatched speed—go from script to screen in days, not months
• Creative freedom—generate bizarre, eye-catching visuals on demand
• Scalable pipelines—use prompt libraries and shot lists for repeatable workflows

After generating clips, Accetturo stitched them together in CapCut and Adobe Premiere Pro, layering text and sound effects to guide viewers through Kalshi’s unconventional betting options. The result? An ad so odd it becomes memorable—and sparks conversations about AI’s creative potential (and its uncanny valley).

The Future of AI Advertising

Veo 3 launched only weeks ago, yet we’re already seeing prime‐time AI ads. With Amazon, Meta, and Netflix rolling out their own video tools, brands will soon craft hyper-targeted spots in record time. But this also raises questions about authenticity, ethics, and the value of human touch in storytelling.

For marketers and agencies, the message is clear: experiment now or risk falling behind. AI text-to-video can slash budgets, accelerate iterations, and open doors to surreal, attention-grabbing content. Just be prepared to navigate quality control, deepfake risks, and evolving regulations.