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Welcome back to the Collective. Last week we shared our New York Tech Week Recap, but this week we're returning to our ideas-first approach that longtime readers will recognize from essays like The Dopamine Economy.

Today, we're exploring what might be the most significant shift in advertising since the dawn of television: a revolution that's happening in real time, right now, as artificial intelligence collapses the traditional barriers between billion-dollar agencies and basement startups. While most people were focused on the basketball during the NBA Finals, one 30-second spot (and the story behind it) has reshaped the entire advertising industry.

Sometimes our newsletter recaps events and developments we've witnessed firsthand. Other times, we dive deep into emerging patterns that we believe will fundamentally reshape how business operates. Today falls squarely into the latter category. We're examining how AI is democratizing creative production in ways that have profound implications for founders, investors, and anyone trying to understand where markets are heading next.

The framework we are sharing with you today isn't just about advertising technology. It's about the broader transformation of creative gatekeepers, the economics of attention, and what happens when the tools of cultural influence become accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

By Coeus Collective Co-Founders Antonio DiMeglio & Leon Li

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Setting the Stage

Picture this: millions of NBA Finals viewers suddenly confronted with a shirtless elderly gentleman draped in an American flag. Cut to a farmer floating in an inflatable pool filled with eggs. Then an alien chugging beer at a party. Finally, a lady in a sparkly pink tracksuit driving a Zamboni across the screen.

Your eyes didn't deceive you. This was AI-generated content airing during one of television's most expensive advertising slots. But here's the first kicker: the entire commercial cost just $2,000 and took only two days to create.

Here's the second, more intriguing kicker that most people are missing: the ad didn't go viral despite being AI-generated. It went viral because it was AI-generated. When audiences discovered the backstory, the campaign's organic reach exploded exponentially beyond what any traditional commercial could achieve.

This wasn't some low-budget late-night infomercial. Kalshi's NBA Finals spot represents something far more profound. A watershed moment signaling not just the democratization of high-impact advertising, but the emergence of an entirely new attention economy where artificial creation becomes the marketing advantage.

The New Economics of Influence

Traditional influence followed predictable patterns. Bigger budgets bought bigger reach. Celebrity endorsements commanded premium pricing. Production values determined credibility. The most expensive time slots attracted the most attention.

Kalshi obliterated this framework in 48 hours.

Their $2,000 investment generated more organic conversation than campaigns costing 1,000 times more. The economic inversion is staggering: 95% cost reduction for exponentially greater viral potential. When filmmaker PJ Ace used Google's Veo 3 to create broadcast-quality content in two days, he didn't just save money. He accessed an entirely new attention mechanism that traditional advertising simply cannot replicate.

And here’s how he did it: