The trend: Video advertising is entering its next phase, powered by generative AI and a growing need for scalable, personalized creative.

Today, Adobe will debut Adobe Express for Ads, a free tool built to let small and mid-sized businesses design and publish video ads directly to platforms like Google, LinkedIn, Meta, and TikTok.

• Adobe Express for Ads combines creative assets from Photoshop and Illustrator with AI-assisted workflows tailored for non-designers.

Amazon, meanwhile, has made its AI-powered video generator available to all US advertisers.

• The tool can turn a single product listing into up to six video ad variants, pulling in copy, reviews, and assets from the product detail page.
• Performance tweaks like multi-scene animation and realistic transitions are baked in, and Amazon reports an average 30% boost in click-through rates for ads using the generator.

Not to be outdone, YouTube announced genAI features to automate video ad creation by transforming static images into dynamic content with camera effects and motion, and generating personalized variations at scale based on brand guidelines and product catalogs.

• These AI capabilities eliminate the need for advertisers to manually create multiple versions of ads, making video advertising far more accessible.

Why it matters: Marketers are embracing AI for video creation in large numbers. According to Econsultancy, 40% already use GenAI for video or image generation, with another 37% actively evaluating it. HubSpot data shows visual AI tools are the most-used GenAI category in social media creation, surpassing chatbots and assistants.

Still, only 14% of marketers say they’ve used GenAI for video and seen ROI. Many others remain in pilot mode or are just beginning to experiment—underscoring that while the tools are widely accessible, ROI clarity and workflow integration are still maturing.

This surge in AI-powered video creation aligns with the steady rise in video ad spending. US video ad spend will grow from $131.1 billion in 2025 to $221 billion by 2029. That’s nearly a 70% increase.

Our take: Video is quickly going from a premium format to table stakes. But what’s changing is how it's produced.

• Big Tech is targeting the long tail of advertisers who historically lacked the resources to compete in rich media. These new tools not only level the playing field but also accelerate a shift toward AI-assisted production as the norm.
• The true shift is toward personalization at scale—custom creative by platform, persona, and placement. Early AI adopters stand to turn testing into repeatable performance gains.