The haters are right about AI.
And they're also completely wrong. Here's what everyone is missing about AI and brand-building.
I cringed. Hard.
The Olympics, the Super Bowl, these should be moments where creativity is on full display; instead, we got this:
Cheap. Uninspiring. Unmemorable.
And then this during the Winter Olympics opening:
In some cases …. borderline unethical.
If this is the future of brand building, it’s bleak.
So here’s my plea: we can do better.
Not (just) because it’s noble. But because actual entertainment drives attention (aka profit). Distinctive assets and characters compound. You’re leaving millions on the table using AI as a replacement for creativity instead of a creative multiplier.
What AI should actually be doing
A kid draws. Crayon on paper. Pure imagination
Then someone brings it to life with AI. Amplifying what was already there.
That’s what AI should be doing for your brand. Taking the raw, distinctive, actually interesting ideas your team has and giving them superpowers.
Not replacing the vision. Amplifying it.
When brands actually give a shit
BBC Winter Olympics 2026. 700 individually 3D-printed athletes. 14 controlled combustion techniques. Real fire. Stop-motion animation. Their creative director said it best: “I hope the industry will see the value and importance of keeping real craft in advertising.”
Zero AI. 700 handmade figurines. Real fire. Pure craft that makes you feel something.
Or what about this Super Bowl ad? Nostalgia, celebrities, and long-term brand-building all wrapped up in an epic sitcom-style ad. Was AI used? Yes, to de-age the actors (similar to how Xfinnity did in their recent ad). Was it used to somehow replace creativity? Definitely not.
Notion’s AI companion. Hand-animated frame by frame. Every gesture is intentional. Then AI made it conversational and scalable. It feels human because humans made it first.
Notice the pattern? The BBC used zero AI. Dunkin’ used AI to enhance. Notion blended craft with AI. And now, one creator used 100% AI video to build something genuinely great:
Lil Wukong. Chinese mythology meets hip-hop meets AI video. 500k views. Not because it’s AI. Because it’s good.
It was never about AI or no AI. It’s about whether someone had a creative vision worth following. A massive broadcaster, a global brand, a tech company, and a solo creator all made something people actually want to watch. Different budgets. Different tools. Different amounts of AI. Same ingredient: they gave a shit.
Skip that ingredient, and no amount of AI will save you.
Want to build a brand mascot that doesn’t make you cringe?
I help brands create character-driven engines powered by AI.
Weak ideas used to die during the process. Now they make it into production, only because it’s cheaper 🫣
Same ingredient: they gave a shit. 🔥🔥🔥