Kalshi, a “prediction market for trading the future” (read: bet on anything), created a groundbreaking television ad that ran during the NBA finals. There is nothing unique about it…aside from the fact that AI generated 100% of the video content. NPR published a piece about the groundbreaking advertising moment, “An AI video ad is making a splash. Is it the future of advertising?”
An AI-generated ad debuting during one of the biggest television events of the year (if you like watching players lazily shooting 3s and playing almost zero defense) signals something is changing.
But what exactly is changing? I’ve led technology-forward businesses and built brands for over three decades. I’ve seen this playbook before. What we’re witnessing is not a wholesale replacement of creativity. It’s simply a new set of tools that will reshape how creative work is done.
At Element 47, we help brands connect to audiences by crafting and telling their story. The tools we use to do our work are constantly changing. If we’d been in business thirty years ago, someone would be bemoaning digital print design tools as a sign of the end of the world.
When it comes to AI, we believe in embracing progress without losing perspective.
Here’s why: Tools Are Always Evolving (And Always Doubted at First)
New technology follows a predictable adoption arc:
- Ignored -> Ridiculed -> Resisted -> Indispensable
- Computers? Expensive toys with no practical use.
- The internet? A novelty for tech geeks.
- Email? It will degrade communications and is too informal for business.
AI is following the same well-worn path. The Kalshi ad may seem like a sudden inflection point, but it’s part of a much larger evolution. And like past tools, AI isn’t valuable because it’s new. It’s valuable because…well, humans are using it to generate value. You can fear the shift. Wait and see how that works out for you. We’ve been through this before.
AI Is a Tool, Not a Magic Wand
The Kalshi ad didn’t make itself.
A creative team still had to concept the idea, define the brand tone, build and refine the prompts that generated the video, and decide (with client approval) when it was ready for broadcast. Just like a nail gun can make a frame carpenter more efficient, AI can dramatically speed up parts of the creative process without replacing the human wielding it.
AI can improve workflows, generate faster iterations, and reduce production costs. But it still requires direction, discernment, and domain expertise to ensure the outputs are on-brand and effective.
The opportunity is not to automate creativity, but to enhance it.
Inspiration Comes from Many Sources. AI Is Just One More.
Have you ever had a “shower thought” that solved a tough problem? Of course you have. But you don’t jump into the shower every time you need a breakthrough. Creativity is unpredictable, and context matters. AI is another source of “yes, and” that can generate ideas that have never been considered.
For brand builders, AI can be an ideation partner, but not a replacement for the insight that comes from talking to customers, understanding market dynamics, or interpreting culture.
This Is the Worst AI You’ll Ever Use.
I attended MAICON (the Marketing AI Institute Conference) just three months before ChatGPT launched in November 2022. I distinctly remember seeing images generated by OpenAI’s DALL·E. Some were fascinating, most were hilariously bad. A skeptic would say “this will never work.” Yet here we are, less than three years later.
In January 2025, I heard futurist Thomas Koulopoulos put it best: “The AI we’re using today is the worst version that we’ll ever use.”
Or something like that. I didn’t write it down or use ChatGPT (or Google) to find the correct quote. Nonetheless, the sentiment of my faulty memory is correct. AI is just getting started. The Kalshi ad is impressive, but it’s not the finish line. It’s a glimpse of what’s coming.
What This Means for Brands and Leaders
At Element 47, we help companies define their brand. The tools we use will change. They always have, they always will. The Kalshi ad isn’t a warning sign. It’s an invitation to question how we get to the end product.
The businesses that thrive in the future will not ignore AI or blindly adopt it. They will integrate it strategically, thoughtfully, and creatively.
That’s where the real competitive edge lies.
p.s. Sharing the above post with some individuals in my network elicited the sharing of some information that addresses the idea of AI making us dumber. It turns out that AI can help you learn new things…if properly employed:
- Against “Brain Damage,” by Ethan Mollick
YouTube is making a bold move designed to head off the trend of AI-generated content: