Ad Review: Puma’s world’s first fully AI-generated ad

Sporting goods brand Puma released the first-ever AI-generated commercial on March 18, 2025 — and the ad world will never be the same.

Partnering with digital agency Monks, Puma produced this “experimental” AI proof-of-concept using Nvidia-powered AI agents that handled every part of the process, from developing concepts based on a brief to writing scripts to producing images and video.

According to the company, there were no human directors, editors, or writers involved in creating this spot.

Is it a great ad? Hardly. But given the absolute dumpster fire of human-created advertising these past many years, it’s not bad — and its mere existence may sound the death knell for the ad industry as we know it.

Let’s take a closer look, shall we?

The minute-long ad opens with a monochromatic montage of grim-faced athletes who look to have been beaten down by “the grind.”

The voiceover:

For too long, greatness has been defined by the grind.

The relentless pursuit.

Pain . . . is power. Struggle . . . is strength. Play has no place in sport.

Then the tone shifts suddenly and the montage becomes one of smiling, satisfied athletes punctuated by vivid colors and the sounds of cheering crowds.

But at Puma, we’ve always done things differently — championing the fearless few who show up exactly as they are.

Unapologetically authentic, joyful pioneers.

Those who know that greatness is measured by the courage to play your own way.

Your story makes you strong.

Your journey is yours to define.

Move the world like only you can.

Because greatness is in your nature.

The Puma logo appears over a black screen. Fin.

Below: The first completely AI-generated ad, courtesy of Puma.

What Puma’s AI-generated ad gets right

First off, the ad looks and sounds the part, with high-quality images and a British-sounding “female” voiceover. From nearly the very first frame, it is clear that this ad is targeting athletes and people with active sporting lifestyles.

It is also remarkable how cannily the AI has captured and conveyed human emotions in the facial expressions and body language of its “actors.” If you didn’t know that you were watching an ad created entirely by AI, you would have every reason to think this was a big-budget athletics ad shot and produced by creative pros with loving care.

Importantly, the ad conveys a fairly compelling idea — that Puma is the brand for bold athletes who redefine greatness on their own terms. At a time when so many of today’s ads lack a Big Idea, it’s encouraging to see one in use here.

And, hey, the AI was smart enough to include several shots of the Puma name and logo over the course of the ad’s runtime — a necessary tactic to make sure viewers know who the advertiser is even with the sound off.

There aren’t many human ad creators nowadays who bother to do that anymore.

What Puma’s AI-generated ad gets wrong

Honestly? Not much.

The script is a little melodramatic, and it panders to its audience with the now-ubiquitous “it’s all about YOU!” messaging that has turned the public into a population of raging megalomaniacal narcissists.

But today’s modern advertising is positively lousy with this stuff, and in fact, many ads win awards for just how blatantly they lean into it. So I’m not really sure it’s fair to knock a computer for doing the same.

In the end, this spot does a good job of engaging the viewer for its full duration. It’s clear who the target audience is, and the ad conveys a compelling idea. It looks good. It sounds good. Really, this AI-generated ad is better and more watchable than most of the ads I’ve reviewed over the past seven years, and that’s saying something.

What other ad makers are saying

While many are excited about the potential of this amazing new technology, a good many creatives and ad folks have pooh-poohed it online, bleating about how AI can never replace flesh-and-blood ad creators’ ability to stir human emotions and forge real, human connections.

I say these folks must be living on a different planet.

Tell me, what ads have you seen lately that make an effort to forge real, human connections? Because a lot of the ads I see on TV still look like this:

Below: The shockingly dumb “IT’S BAAAACK” spot from Little Caesars.

And as I’ve said already, this Puma ad does in fact convey emotion and connect with its audience on a human level. So, that criticism is bunk. It’s like in the mid-1990s when professional photographers clung to film, claiming digital photos lacked “soul.” Today’s ad dinosaurs are whining about AI missing “human connection” while it’s quickly evolving to outperform their tired tricks.

And you had better believe that AI is only going to get better from here.

Time for humans to pass the torch?

Look, I’m not here to dance on the ad industry’s grave. (OK, maybe a little.) But for decades, human creatives have been fleecing clients with million-dollar budgets for ads that scream “look at me!” instead of “buy this shoe.”

These ad makers chase Cannes Lions and Clio Awards, not sales. They crank out garbage like LiMu Emu, Li’l Sweet, and whatever the hell Jaguar crapped out last year, and then pat themselves on the back for “disrupting.”

Disrupting what? My patience? My blood pressure?

Meanwhile, Puma’s AI ad — flawed as it is — lands a solid 7/10 without a single human ego in the room. It’s got a point, it’s watchable, and it didn’t cost a fortune. That’s more than I can say for most Super Bowl ads.

Don’t get me wrong — I’m not saying that AI is the second coming of David Ogilvy. This Puma ad’s script is a bit overwrought, and yeah, it’s pandering to the “you’re a special snowflake” crowd. But human ads have been doing that for years, and much worse. (Think Motaur or Little Caesars yelling “IT’S BAAAACK” like a toddler jacked up on Red Bull.)

At least AI has an excuse: it’s new at this. Humans? They’ve had decades to get it right and still serve up stupidity over substance.

As I have said so many times before, the job of advertising is to sell — to connect with people, build brands, and move product. Not to annoy us into submission or win a popularity contest at AdAge. Yet here we are, drowning in “creative” that’s neither strategic nor likable.

Puma’s AI ad is a middle finger to that mess. It’s proof that you no longer need a bloated agency to make something decent — just a few Nvidia chips and a good creative brief. No award-chasing, no “genius” art directors burning cash to achieve their “vision.” Just an ad that works well enough to make you wonder why we’ve been paying humans to do worse.

Personally, I am thrilled to see something shake up the ad industry’s complacency. Bronwyn Williams recently nailed it in a post on LinkedIn: advertising jobs are finally being paid what they’re worth — i.e., less than your maid, because at least she is useful. Human creatives had their shot, squandered it on goofy gags, obnoxious soundtracks, and a crusade for forced diversity, and now AI is here to change the game entirely.

So I say, pass the torch. Let’s see if AI can make advertisements that don’t make me dive for the mute button.

Let me know in the comments below — is this the end of the ad world, or the start of one that actually works?

For the first time in a long time, I am excited to see what happens next in advertising.

Cranky Ad Review rating: Three silicone-based stars out of five.

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