Microsoft has made a significant breakthrough in the use of generative AI in advertising, creating a minute-long ad for its Surface Pro and Surface Laptop hardware using the technology. However, what's even more remarkable is that the ad has been live on YouTube for almost three months, and nobody seemed to notice the AI elements until now.

The ad, which was published on January 30th, isn't entirely made up of generated content. According to a Microsoft Design blog post, senior design communications manager Jay Tan revealed that the team used a combination of real footage and AI-generated content to create the ad. Tan explained that the team determined which shots were suitable for AI generation, with quick cuts and limited motion being prime candidates. The AI tools were used to generate a compelling script, storyboards, and a pitch deck, which were then iterated upon and edited to correct errors and hallucinations.

The process of creating the ad using generative AI was a labor-intensive one, with the team going through thousands of different prompts to get the desired output. However, visual designer Brian Townsend estimates that the team "probably saved 90% of the time and cost it would typically take" using traditional methods. This echoes recent comments from Microsoft's design chief Jon Friedman, who believes that AI will become one more tool in creatives' arsenals, rather than replacing them outright.

Despite the ad being online for almost three months, there's little sign that anyone noticed the AI output until now. The ad has a little over 40,000 views on YouTube, and none of the top comments speculate that the video was produced using AI. It's only when knowing to look for it that the AI-generated elements become apparent, such as shots of meeting notes that clearly weren't hand-written and a suspiciously large Mason jar.

The fact that the AI output went unnoticed for so long suggests that the technology has reached a level of sophistication where it can be used to create high-quality content that is virtually indistinguishable from human-created content. This has significant implications for the advertising and creative industries, where AI tools could potentially revolutionize the way content is created and produced.

Microsoft's experiment with generative AI in advertising is a significant milestone in the development of this technology. As AI tools become more powerful and accessible, we can expect to see more innovative uses of this technology in the future. Whether it's used to create entire ads, or simply to augment human creativity, one thing is clear: generative AI is here to stay, and it's going to change the way we create content forever.