Guide
Yes, AI can make video ads, but you still decide what they say
Updated
Yes, AI tools can edit a video you filmed into a finished ad, or make one from a script with an AI presenter. You still decide what the ad says and check whether it worked.
In short
- Yes, AI can make video ads. It edits a video you filmed, or makes one from a script with an AI presenter.
- AI is good at the editing: cutting pauses, adding captions, finding stock clips and exporting the file.
- AI is still weak at showing your exact product and at telling a believable personal story.
- You still decide what the ad says, and the results tell you whether it worked.
- Cutroom edits a 30-second ad for 110 credits, about $1.76 on the $19.99 Lite plan.
- Credits for a 30-second ad in Cutroom
- 110
- AI actors each on MakeUGC and Arcads
- 1,000+
- Longest video you can upload to Cutroom
- 3 min
Three ways AI makes a video ad
AI makes video ads in three ways. Only AI presenter tools make a whole ad with no filming. The other two need your video or your editing.
- Editing tools start from a video of a real person talking, so the ad looks like a normal post.
- AI presenter tools need no filming, but the face is a stock AI actor unless you build your own.
- Footage generators make short clips, not a finished ad, so you still put the clips together yourself.
What each kind of AI tool needs and makes
| What the AI does | You give it | You get back | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edits a video you filmed | A video of you talking | A finished ad with cuts, captions and stock clips | Cutroom, the Captions app, Submagic |
| Makes an AI presenter talk | A script or a product link | A video of an AI actor reading your script | Arcads, MakeUGC, Creatify, HeyGen |
| Generates new footage | A written prompt or a photo | Short clips with nobody talking | Runway, Kling |
What the AI does: Edits a video you filmed
- You give it
- A video of you talking
- You get back
- A finished ad with cuts, captions and stock clips
- Examples
- Cutroom, the Captions app, Submagic
What the AI does: Makes an AI presenter talk
- You give it
- A script or a product link
- You get back
- A video of an AI actor reading your script
- Examples
- Arcads, MakeUGC, Creatify, HeyGen
What the AI does: Generates new footage
- You give it
- A written prompt or a photo
- You get back
- Short clips with nobody talking
- Examples
- Runway, Kling
What AI does well in a video ad
AI is most reliable at the editing. It works on material you supplied, so there is little for it to make up.
- It writes out everything you say, word by word, even from a phone recording.
- It cuts out pauses, filler words and false starts, and adds captions timed to your voice.
- It finds stock clips that match what you are saying.
- It exports the file in the vertical size that TikTok, Reels and Shorts use.
- It can make a music track from a short description, or a talking presenter from a photo and a voice.
- AI presenters work well for explaining facts or steps, like how to use a product.
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Where AI still goes wrong
These are the mistakes to check for before an AI-made ad goes live.
Where AI video still goes wrong
| Task | What goes wrong |
|---|---|
| Showing your real product | The packaging can change colour between shots, and the logo can blur. |
| An AI presenter telling a personal story | It often looks fake, because the presenter never used your product. |
| A script written by AI | It reads smoothly but sounds generic, because it does not know your customers. |
Task: Showing your real product
- What goes wrong
- The packaging can change colour between shots, and the logo can blur.
Task: An AI presenter telling a personal story
- What goes wrong
- It often looks fake, because the presenter never used your product.
Task: A script written by AI
- What goes wrong
- It reads smoothly but sounds generic, because it does not know your customers.
What you still do yourself
These parts need facts about your business that no AI tool has.
- You decide what the ad says, because you know which doubts stop your customers from buying.
- You choose the offer, meaning what you sell, the price and any guarantee.
- You check every AI shot of your product against the real thing.
- You read the results and decide which ad gets more budget.
Do you have to say an ad was made with AI?
On TikTok, yes, when the ad shows AI-made people, voices or footage. On Facebook and Instagram, Meta labels many AI ads itself. Both rules were checked on TikTok's and Meta's own pages on 21 September 2026.
- TikTok asks you to label ads with fully AI-made video, images or audio, a cloned voice, or a person shown doing something they did not do.
- You add TikTok's AI-generated label, or your own clear caption, sticker or disclaimer. TikTok rejects or restricts ads without one.
- Meta adds an "AI info" label when an ad image or video was made or heavily edited with Meta's own AI tools.
- Meta also labels ads made with other AI tools when it detects them. The label shows under "About this ad".
- If the ad shows a realistic AI-made person, Meta puts the label next to "Sponsored", where everyone sees it.
- On Meta, ads about social issues, elections or politics must say when an image, video or audio was made or edited with AI.
What AI video ad tools cost
Most AI ad tools sell a monthly plan with credits. These prices come from each company's own pricing page, read on 21 September 2026.
AI video ad tools and their prices
MakeUGC shows its prices at 50% off. Arcads shows no price on its website.
| Tool | What it does | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Cutroom | Edits a video you filmed into a 9:16 ad | First video free; Lite $19.99 a month; a 30-second ad is 110 credits |
| Captions app | Edits talking videos on your phone | Free version; Max $24.99 a month |
| MakeUGC | AI actors read your script | From $59 a month for 500 credits |
| Creatify | Turns a product link into an ad with an AI actor | Free plan with 10 credits a month; Starter $39 a month |
| HeyGen | AI presenter videos from a script | Free plan; Creator $24 a month, billed yearly |
| Arcads | AI actors for UGC-style ads | Not published |
Tool: Cutroom
- What it does
- Edits a video you filmed into a 9:16 ad
- Price
- First video free; Lite $19.99 a month; a 30-second ad is 110 credits
Tool: Captions app
- What it does
- Edits talking videos on your phone
- Price
- Free version; Max $24.99 a month
Tool: MakeUGC
- What it does
- AI actors read your script
- Price
- From $59 a month for 500 credits
Tool: Creatify
- What it does
- Turns a product link into an ad with an AI actor
- Price
- Free plan with 10 credits a month; Starter $39 a month
Tool: HeyGen
- What it does
- AI presenter videos from a script
- Price
- Free plan; Creator $24 a month, billed yearly
Tool: Arcads
- What it does
- AI actors for UGC-style ads
- Price
- Not published
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom is an AI editor for ads where a real person talks to the camera. You film, and Cutroom does the editing.
- You upload one video of yourself talking, up to 3 minutes long.
- Cutroom cuts it, adds captions timed to your voice, puts stock clips on the words you pick and adds an opening headline.
- You get a finished 9:16 MP4 for TikTok, Reels or Shorts.
- You change the video on its text: fix a misheard word and the caption follows, or highlight a phrase to put a clip there.
- A 30-second ad costs 110 credits: 100 to edit, plus 20 per minute of export.
- Your first video is free, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it.
What each step costs in Cutroom
Presenters and generated music come with Basic and up.
| Step | Credits |
|---|---|
| Edit one video | 100 credits |
| Export | 20 credits per minute of video |
| Generated voice-over | 70 credits per minute |
| Music track, up to 60 seconds | 50 credits |
| Talking presenter from a photo and a voice | 350 credits per minute |
| Lite plan | $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits |
| Basic plan | $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits |
Step: Edit one video
- Credits
- 100 credits
Step: Export
- Credits
- 20 credits per minute of video
Step: Generated voice-over
- Credits
- 70 credits per minute
Step: Music track, up to 60 seconds
- Credits
- 50 credits
Step: Talking presenter from a photo and a voice
- Credits
- 350 credits per minute
Step: Lite plan
- Credits
- $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits
Step: Basic plan
- Credits
- $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits
Questions people ask
- Can AI make a whole video ad by itself?
- Yes, if you give it a script or a product link. MakeUGC, Creatify and HeyGen turn either one into a video with an AI presenter. You still write or check what the presenter says.
- Do AI-made video ads work as well as normal ones?
- Nobody knows for sure, because no public study has compared them. What the ad says matters more than which tool made it, and AI scripts sound generic unless you give them real details about your customers.
- Why use AI for video ads at all?
- Because it makes each extra ad cheap to try. In Motion's study of 550,000+ Meta ads, only 5 to 8% of ads did really well. That means about 14 tries to find one.
- Can AI show my real product?
- Not reliably. Generated shots of a specific product often change colour or blur the logo. Film the product yourself and let AI do the editing. MakeUGC's Pro plan makes product-in-hand videos, but check every frame.
- Do I have to disclose AI in TikTok and Meta ads?
- On TikTok, yes, if the ad uses AI-made people, voices or footage: add TikTok's AI-generated label or a clear disclaimer. On Meta, you only have to disclose AI in political and social issue ads, but Meta labels many AI images and videos itself.
- How much does an AI video ad cost?
- Cutroom edits a 30-second ad for 110 credits, about $1.76 on Lite. MakeUGC starts at $59 a month, shown at 50% off, and Creatify at $39 a month. Both charge credits per video.
- Should I use an AI presenter or film myself?
- Film yourself when the ad tells a personal story or makes a claim about your product. An AI presenter works for explaining facts, and when nobody wants to be on camera.
Film one video of yourself talking and get a finished ad back. Your first video is free.