There is a shift in the types of people and environments that appear in video ads that is clearly striking as AI videos become much easier and cheaper to make than real ads.
You may not pay much attention to the videos that appear next to Reddit comments or the commercials that play on a streaming service that you don't watch often enough to justify purchasing the ad-free subscription. Still, fake smiles and unrealistically beautiful houses are sometimes synthetic in a completely new way.
Local car dealer released a 100% AI-generated ad instead of making a real one from r/videography
Trust is the first casualty here. And in advertising, trust is everything. Saying that an AI character's endorsement is based on real customer feedback doesn't make it any more real. You can't build brand loyalty if people don't feel like they share things in common with spokespeople, especially when it's something as basic as what actually exists.
AI ads on streaming platforms have an AI disclaimer in the corner of the screen, but that won't always make people feel better. Many feel that companies are trying to trick them and report their displeasure on Reddit and other social media platforms.
strange ads
That hasn't stopped proponents of AI ads from touting its benefits. These avatars, they argue, are always active, perfectly consistent, and free of human bias. They won't go rogue, they won't lose their attractiveness, and they'll never post something regrettable on social media between photo shoots. They promise brand security in the form of synthetic predictability.
But that predictability is a double-edged sword. Human beings are not linked to perfection. We connect through imperfection. In the end, replacing messy human performances with sanitized simulations might make advertising executives feel more confident, but it doesn't make their ads more effective.
I received this ad from AI DoorDash. What do you think about this? from r/aiwars
If brands continue to pursue efficiency at the expense of authenticity, they may find themselves in a position that no marketing panel can fix. Not just distrusted, but ignored. Because when you remove every human element from your message, what's left is just noise with a face.
That doesn't mean there's no place for AI in advertising. If used carefully, it can achieve remarkable things. You can customize content, test ideas, and even edit scripts. But it should support human storytelling, not replace it. The uncanny valley is not just a design flaw; it is the edge of something that we instinctively know is not quite right. People don't buy what's perfect. They buy what seems right for their lives. And no matter how sharp the jawline or how soft the expression, there's nothing more suspicious than a toothy smile that never reaches the eyes.
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