An effective ad usually requires a copywriter, a designer, sometimes a videographer, and several days of back and forth. For an entrepreneur, that is often too expensive and too slow: the ad never goes out, or goes out too late. AI changes the game at every stage, from the idea to the file ready to run. This guide shows you how to create an ad with AI in five steps: finding the angle and writing the script, producing the visuals, generating the video, adapting the formats, then following the ad platforms' transparency rules. With requests to copy at every step.
How to create an ad with AI: the 5-step method
Making an ad with AI does not mean typing "make me an ad" and publishing the result. Quality comes from the method. Here is the one we use:
- Angle and script: the message, the target customer, the hook. This is the step that decides performance.
- Visuals: product photo, usage scene, static visual for image formats.
- Video: animating the visuals, realistic shots, voice and captions.
- Variations: vertical, square and horizontal formats, several hooks to test.
- Compliance: transparency rules from Meta, TikTok or Google, and applicable law.
Expect about half a day for a first complete campaign, then roughly one to two hours for the following ones once your request templates are in place, where a traditional production takes several days.
Step 1: find the angle and write the script with AI
An ad works when it speaks about a specific problem to a specific person. Before any visual, use an assistant such as Claude or ChatGPT to clarify your angle. Give it your offer, your ideal customer and the objections you hear most often.
"Here is my offer: [description]. My ideal customer: [profile]. The 3 objections I hear most: [objections]. Suggest 5 different ad angles (problem, result, proof, comparison, urgency). For each one, give a hook of fewer than 10 words and explain why it could work."
Choose two or three angles, then have the script written. For a short video, a simple structure works well: the hook (the first 3 seconds), the problem, the solution, a proof point, the call to action.
"Write a 20-second video ad script for the angle [chosen angle]. Format: an 'on screen' column (shot description) and a 'text' column (voiceover and captions). Hook in the first 3 seconds, professional and direct tone, final call to action: [action]. Do not invent any figures or testimonials."
That last instruction is essential: an AI can invent a "+300% results" claim or a customer review that does not exist. For stronger scripts, our beginner's guide to prompting explains how to give the right context.
Step 2: produce the ad visuals
Visuals serve twice: as image ads in their own right, and as the starting point for your videos. Two generators lead in September 2026: Nano Banana (in Gemini) and ChatGPT Images. Both can start from a photo of your product and place it in a scene, keeping its shape and label.
"Using the attached photo of my product, create a 4:5 ad visual: the product in the foreground, in a bright modern kitchen, a hand picking it up. Keep the product exactly as it is. At the top, leave a plain area for a headline. Photorealistic, natural light."
Then add the headline, either by requesting it directly in the visual (in quotation marks, then check every letter) or in a layout tool such as Canva for full control over typography. Our Nano Banana tutorial offers more ready-to-use requests.
Step 3: generate the video ad
Video is the leading format on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. There are two ways to produce it with AI:
- Image to video: you animate the visual created in step 2. This is the most reliable method for a real product, because its appearance is set by the starting image.
- Text to video: you describe the scene and the generator creates everything. Faster, but with less control over details.
Veo 3.1 (in Flow), Kling 3.0 and Seedance are the current benchmarks, most with native sound. Our Veo 3, Kling and Sora comparison helps you choose based on budget and clip length.
"Animate this image: the hand slowly picks up the product and lifts it toward the camera, slight forward camera movement, morning light. Sound: calm kitchen ambience. 6 seconds, 9:16 format."
Then assemble your shots in a simple editing tool (CapCut, Canva or the editor of your choice), and add the voiceover and captions. Do not skip captions: on social media, many people watch videos with the sound off.
Your ad videos, produced in-house
In 3 days, Creative IA Pro teaches you to produce your visuals, ultra-realistic videos and ad videos, without a designer or an editor. You leave with your first ads ready to run.
Discover Creative IA ProAI UGC and AI avatar videos: what works (and what is risky)
"UGC" videos (user-generated content) imitate the style of a person talking to camera about your product. They work well in advertising because they look like natural content. AI now makes it possible to produce them without a shoot, in two ways:
- Generic AI avatars: specialized platforms (HeyGen, Synthesia and others) offer virtual presenters who read your script, in many languages.
- Your own avatar: from a short video of you, these tools create a digital double that speaks with your voice and face. The Gemini app also offers AI avatar creation for video. It is often the best option: it is you and your expertise, without a shoot for every new ad.
The line not to cross: presenting an AI avatar as a real satisfied customer. A fake testimonial is a misleading commercial practice, whether the video is filmed or generated. Use avatars to present your offer or explain a benefit, never to invent a review.
"Write a 25-second UGC script, to camera, presenting [offer]. Natural, conversational tone, short sentences, as if I were talking to a fellow entrepreneur. Start with a situation my customer experiences every day. No fake testimonials, no invented figures."
Step 4: adapt formats and hooks
The same ad must exist in several formats so it can run everywhere without awkward cropping:
- 9:16 (vertical): Stories, Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts.
- 4:5 or 1:1: Instagram and Facebook feeds.
- 16:9 (horizontal): YouTube, website, presentations.
Image and video generators all accept a format in the instructions: generate each version directly rather than cropping. Also vary your hooks: three versions of the first three seconds, with the same video body, let you test what stops the scroll. This is where AI saves the most time: producing ten variations takes a few dozen minutes rather than several days. To automate what comes next (publishing, tracking), see our article on automating marketing with AI.
Step 5: transparency rules for AI-generated ads
Ad platforms do not ban AI-generated content, but they regulate its transparency. Here are the benchmarks at the time of writing (September 2026):
- Meta (Facebook, Instagram): for ads about social issues, elections or politics, advertisers must disclose any photorealistic image, video or realistic audio that was digitally created or altered, for example a real person saying something they did not say, or a realistic person who does not exist. For other ads, Meta applies an "AI info" label itself: automatically for content created with its own generative AI tools, and, since June 2026, when it detects that media was created or edited with a third-party tool. The label appears under "About this ad", via the three-dot menu.
- TikTok and Google also apply their own labeling rules for realistic AI-generated content. Check their advertising policies before running your ads.
- European law: since August 2, 2026, the EU AI Act requires disclosure of deepfakes, meaning generated images, audio or video that misleadingly resemble real people, places or events.
In practice, the simplest rule: if your ad shows a realistic person who does not exist or a scene that never happened, disclose it. Provenance metadata embedded by Google, OpenAI or Adobe is often detected anyway. For personal data used in your campaigns, our article on GDPR and AI covers the essentials.
Mistakes to avoid
Starting with the video. Without a clear angle, even the most beautiful video will not sell. Spend time on step 1.
Letting AI invent proof. Figures, testimonials, certifications: anything untrue exposes you legally and damages your credibility.
Showing a product that differs from reality. Always start from a real photo of your product and check that it stays accurate in every shot.
Publishing without a frame-by-frame review. Distorted hands, unreadable text, an approximate logo: one visible flaw drives people away.
Betting everything on one version. Test at least two or three hooks: running the ads will tell you which one works.
FAQ: creating an ad with AI
Can you create an ad with AI for free?
Partly. The free versions of Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini are enough for the angle, the script and a few visuals. Kling offers free daily video credits. For regular production of quality videos, a subscription quickly becomes necessary.
Which AI should I use to make a video ad?
An assistant (Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini) for the script, an image generator (Nano Banana or ChatGPT Images) for the visuals, and a video generator (Veo 3.1, Kling or Seedance) for animation.
Do I need to disclose that an ad was created with AI?
For political or social issue ads on Meta, yes, as soon as realistic content is created or altered. For other ads, Meta often adds a label itself. And a fictional realistic person or scene should be disclosed.
Can an AI avatar replace a real customer testimonial?
No. An avatar can present your offer, but presenting an avatar as a real customer is misleading. Keep real testimonials for real customers.
How can I produce my ads on my own?
By mastering a complete chain: script, visuals, video and variations. That is what we have you practice in Creative IA Pro, so you can produce your ad videos in-house, without a designer or an editor.