What an AI-Assisted Commercial Actually Looks Like

Search for an AI generated commercial and you'll find a lot of hype.

Here's what three real campaigns looked like behind the scenes. We call it AI-assisted, not AI generated, because real people led every one, from direction to final polish.

KFC: Chikin Land

KFC Singapore needed to launch a limited-time burger range with a dreamy, anime-inspired world called Chikin Land. Sun, snow and sakura all exist in one frame. The hard part was keeping the food looking real and craveable inside a stylised fantasy world.

Where AI helped: early visual exploration of anime-inspired environments and characters, so the team could test more directions before locking one in.

Where the team took over: full 3D modelling of the food for realism, shot-by-shot animation, VFX, lighting, colour grading, and close iteration on textures and motion.

The result: 650 to 1200% higher engagement per post versus the account average, on Instagram.

See the full case study here.

Crypto.com: A Repeatable Visual System

Crypto.com needed a visual system that could keep up with always-on content, without a one-off CGI build for every new campaign push.

Where AI helped: generating key visual elements and environments, with prompt systems built to keep the style consistent across a high volume of outputs.

Where the team took over: motion design and CGI integration, brand-led art direction, and manual quality checks on every output.

The result: a repeatable visual production line. Faster turnaround, consistent visuals across formats, less reliance on a heavy CGI build for every push.

See the full case study here.

Laurier: Safety Guard Micro-World

Laurier needed to relaunch its panty range as Safety Guard and prove three claims: breathability, fast absorption, and leak protection, without leaning on voiceover stats.

Where AI helped: generating and iterating the micro-world environments, like 100 million micro-holes opening as light floods through, and liquid vanishing into fabric at absorption speed. Visuals that are hard to capture with real macro photography.

Where the team took over: directing the human-context scenes, commute and work for breathability, yoga for absorption, staging the specialist-inspection beats, and compositing the macro and micro-world footage into one continuous film.

See the full case study here.

AI Generated vs AI Assisted: Why It Matters

An AI generated commercial suggests a machine made the whole thing. That's not what happened in any of these three.

In each case, AI explored options fast in the early stages. People handled direction, art direction, 3D builds, animation, grading, and every revision after that. The work stayed led by people, start to finish.

The Tools and Techniques Behind These Campaigns

Across these three campaigns, the production mix looked like this:

• AI assisted concept art and environment exploration, to widen the creative options early
• Full 3D modelling, for product realism inside stylised or generated worlds
• Motion design and CGI compositing, to merge generated and crafted elements into one look
• Manual grading and quality checks, to keep every output on brand

Thinking About AI-Assisted Production?

Have a look at more of our AI-assisted work, or get in touch to talk through what's possible for your next campaign.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What's the difference between an AI generated commercial and an AI assisted one?

An AI generated commercial implies a machine made it start to finish. An AI assisted commercial uses AI for specific steps, usually early exploration, while people lead direction, craft, and final polish.

2. Does AI replace the production team on these campaigns?

People still lead direction, 3D builds, animation, and every revision. AI speeds up early exploration. That's its role, nothing more.

3. What kind of brands use AI-assisted commercials?

Brands with high-volume content needs, tight timelines, or a visual world that would be expensive to build by hand alone. KFC, Crypto.com, and Laurier are three examples.

4. Is an AI-assisted commercial cheaper than a traditional shoot?

In the right use case, yes. When a concept needs a world that's expensive to build physically, like a stylised fantasy set or a macro view inside a fabric, AI-assisted production lets the budget stretch further than a traditional shoot would allow. It's not cheaper for every brief. It depends on the use case.