How do you generate massive buzz during the NBA Finals with just $2,000 and three days of production? If you're Kalshi, an online prediction market, the answer is simple: let artificial intelligence do the heavy lifting.
During one of the most-watched sporting events in the United States, Kalshi aired a chaotic, fast-paced ad that looked more like a fever dream than a traditional commercial. The 30-second spot featured an eclectic mix of surreal scenes — a farmer relaxing in a pool of chicken eggs, a grandmother drifting across an ice rink on a mini-tractor, an alien sipping beer in a basketball jersey, a person swimming with a crocodile, and a middle-aged man cradling a tiny dog like a baby.
None of it was filmed. None of it was animated in the traditional sense. Instead, the entire production was generated using Google’s Veo 3, the company’s cutting-edge text-to-video model, guided by prompts crafted with the help of Gemini, Google's AI chatbot platform.
The creators first used Gemini to refine and engineer prompts tailored for hyper-realistic generation in Veo 3. After hundreds of video sequences were created, around fifteen clips were selected for the final cut — each more bizarre and vivid than the last.
The result? A surreal montage that feels absurdly lifelike, despite the total absence of real-world filming, props, or special effects. And the internet took notice. The ad quickly began circulating on social media, drawing praise for its creativity and disbelief over its low cost and short turnaround.
"It’s ridiculous, it’s confusing, and that’s exactly why it works," said one tech marketer on X (formerly Twitter). "You’re watching it thinking, ‘Did I just see that?’ And that curiosity fuels the shareability."
While $2,000 wouldn’t usually cover catering on a standard commercial shoot, Kalshi managed to harness generative AI to punch far above its weight in visibility. Beyond budget efficiency, the campaign also points to a radical shift in how ads can be conceived and produced in the AI era.
Kalshi’s ad aligns with a broader industry trend where AI-generated content is no longer experimental — it’s going prime time. This comes on the heels of other high-profile AI applications in entertainment, fashion, and marketing, where tools like Veo 3 are being explored for both cost savings and creative expansion.
As AI video generation tools continue to improve in realism, narrative cohesion, and speed, the barrier to entry for visually striking storytelling is rapidly dissolving. In this case, a niche online platform hijacked a national stage with nothing but a laptop, an idea, and some powerful AI.
Kalshi’s low-budget, high-impact campaign is more than a viral stunt — it’s a signal. The future of advertising might not be filmed. It might be imagined, prompted, and rendered in silicon.