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A new concept ad format for Ikea is going viral, and it shows that AI ads can actually be good. The concept, which appears to have first been created by X user @Salmaaboukarr, starts with a wide shot of a drab, dorm-esque room with a simple Ikea-branded cardboard box in the center. In a matter of seconds, the box explodes open, spewing a full rooms-worth of Ikea furniture throughout the space and immediately transforming it into a cozy haven. This clever play on Ikeas iconic build-it-yourself model is a glimpse into how far AI models have come in the past several months, and how much of a role theyre poised to play in the future advertising landscape. While its not actually a real ad for the brand, it looks convincing enough to be one. How the “exploding box” ad exploded online The creator listed full instructions on how to achieve a similar result using step-by-step prompts on Googles Veo 3 model, and dozens of creators have since made their own. The original video has over one million views and 11,000 likes on X at the time of writing, and another iteration of the Ikea concept has raked in 34,000 likes on Instagram. One creator designed a spot for Amazon, and another made a video concept for a fake pet care company. The Ikea box ad visuals come with a satisfying mix of cardboard sounds and solid thunks as the digital furniture settles into place. This seems to be a result of using Veo 3 itself, which debuted this March and stands out from AI video generator competitors like OpenAIs Sora for its ability to generate dialogue and audio alongside near-photorealistic video. So far, netizens have used Veo 3s advanced capabilities for a range of content, from benign ASMR clips to alarmingly realistic deepfakes of riots and election fraudand its only going to get more powerful from here. These Ikea concepts show the possibility of AI-generated ads Many viewers of the original video are responding positively to the ad, with one calling it mesmerizing. Predictably, though, the concept is also receiving its fair share of criticism. On the aforementioned Instagram post, which includes the caption, This is literally a ~$100,000 VFX ad made with one Veo 3 prompt, some commenters criticized the video, noting it was likely trained on real (and expensive) projects by creative people. Another, noting the mismatched end tables and armoires, and the placement of the ceiling lamp, felt it pointed to AI’s shortcomings. Ethical concerns around AIs use of copyrighted materials and its massive energy consumption are certainly valid. However, critiques of the small flaws in these Ikea concept adslike the placement of an errant lampwork to undersell how astronomically AI tools have improved in the past several months, and how useful they will inevitably be for marketers. Looking back just a year ago to Toys R Us cursed toy ad, which was billed as the first-ever fully AI-generated commercial, its difficult to emphasize just how much worse that actual ad looks compared to todays fan-made AI content. Not only is the image quality markedly better today, but the prompting savvy of AI creators has also improved. In the case of these Ikea concepts, for example, the focus is on the product itselfan area where AI currently excels. If you observe the Ikea concept ads without a fine-tooth comb, it would be difficult to argue that theyre not effective. Granted, we’re likely still in for a lot of AI slop, and probably more of it. But, as with any other tool, the existence of bad AI-generated ads doesnt mean it’s impossible for smart, creative people to make good ones. These Ikea concept ads show that, with the right concept, AI can showcase a product without coming off as cringeworthy. Finally got round to testing Veo 3 for ads- IKEA (inspo ad)Prompt below pic.twitter.com/fSKhIUXf72— Salma (@Salmaaboukarr) July 19, 2025
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E-Commerce
What happens when you spend decades seeding salacious stories about evil lurking in the halls of power, demanding evidence to prove basic truths, and questioning the veracity of that evidence once its presented? Donald Trump is finding out. Over the last week, the president has been trying to fight his way out of a web of his own creation, as some of his truest followers in MAGA world call for the full release of the governments investigative files concerning convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The outcry from Trump acolytes comes after the Department of Justice published a two-page memo earlier this month, stating that Epsteins supposed client list, which Attorney General Pam Bondi previously said was on her desk, didnt actually exist. Following a weeklong uproar from both the left and right, Trump finally called on a federal court judge to unseal the grand jury testimony related to Epsteins case. The Justice Department has also subpoenaed Epsteins associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving her own 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. But the moves have done little to quell the outrage from the right, particularly after House Speaker Mike Johnson sent the chamber into summer recess early this week to head off a vote on releasing the files. The move prompted fury from the partys MAGA wing. Crimes have been committed, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia told reporters. If theres no justice and no accountability, people are going to get sick of it. As all this has played out, Trump has cast about for someone to blame, pointing the finger at Democrats and his PAST supporters for stoking the scandal. In truth, its Trump who is uniquely responsible for cultivating the culture of conspiracy in which hes now floundering. Credit where its due: Trumps long and well-documented history of conspiracy-mongering has been perhaps one of his greatest skills and has almost always worked out in his favor. His constant questioning of President Obamas birthplace was so successful that it transformed Trump, then a reality star and real estate mogul, into a cable news fixture. Later on, his success at convincing nearly three-quarters of Republicans that the 2020 election was stolen played no small role in securing his 2024 election victory. Even the speculation about which other A-listers were in Epsteins orbit were often fair game for Trump. In 2019, Trump fed rumors that the Clintons were somehow involved in Epsteins death by suicide in prison. Did Bill Clinton go to the island? That’s the question, Trump said at the time. Nevermind that Trump and Epstein were close friends or that he once told New York magazine that Epstein likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. Trump is a devoted student of the Im rubber, youre glue school of politicsand for the most part, its worked. But now its Trump whos found himself stuck to Epstein, and he has no one to blame but himself. After all, it was Trump who taught his followers not to trust the abridged version of a story (see: Trumps campaign to secure Obamas long-form birth certificate in 2011). Now, it stands to reason those same people want more than a two-page summary of the DOJs Epstein investigation. And it was Trump who convinced a certain subset of the American electorate to scour video evidence for alleged election night aberrations in 2020. Is it any wonder theyre now spiraling over the missing minute (or minutes, according to Wired) in the video footage the government released of the night Epstein died? Meanwhile, the stories linking Trump to Epstein just keep growing. On Monday, The New York Times reported that one of Epsteins accusers encouraged the FBI to look into Trump as early as 1996. And The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Trump once sent Epstein a lewd birthday card, featuring a hand-drawn outline of a naked woman and allusions to their shared secrets. The Journal reported that the card is among the documents DOJ officials reviewed as part of the Epstein investigation. Trump has denied the story, calling the article fake news and has since sued the Journal for defamation. That controversy prompted some conservatives whod been critical of the Trump administrations approach to Epstein to leap to the presidents defense. But that reprieve may be short-lived. As one Trump ally, Mike Benz, said on Steve Bannons podcast over the weekend, You trained us to go after this issue.
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E-Commerce
When Microsoft announced that it would start evaluating employees on their AI usage, it sent a clear message: AI fluency is now part of the job. Business Insider recently reported that Microsoft was asking managers to track employee engagement with internal AI tools like Copilot and consider that usage in performance reviews. This signals that AI skills are becoming as measurable as teamwork or communication. AI is no longer optional in white-collar jobs. It now ranks alongside email, video calls, and spreadsheets as a workplace essential. However, unlike those tools, AI continues to occupy uncharted territory. Theres no standard for how to use it, no shared definition of what good looks like, and no clear line between acceptable and risky behavior. The technology is also evolving faster than most companies can keep up with. Many employers are encouraging or requiring the use of AI without offering the training or oversight to match. That mismatch is creating more than confusion. Its leading to misuse, uneven evaluations, and pressure on employees to guess their way through a system that doesnt even exist yet. Microsofts decision carries weight. When one of the worlds most powerful tech companies sets a precedent, others are likely to follow. But if companies adopt similar policies without fixing the missing guardrails, it can lead to misalignment and dysfunction. The consequences of throwing employees into the AI deep end Pushing AI adoption is smart, but leaving employees to figure it out alone isnt. Companies are asking workers to operate fast-changing, complex tools with little support. The results are messy. Many Gen Z professionals are already improvising in the absence of clear guidance. In a recent Resume Genius survey, 39% of Gen Z workers said theyve automated tasks without their managers approval. Another 28% admitted to submitting AI-generated work without disclosure. Nearly a third used AI in ways that might violate company policy, and 23% reported that using AI at work negatively affected their mental health. That pattern isnt just limited to Gen Z. A 2025 KPMG study of 48,000 workers across 47 countries found that 57% are hiding their AI use from managers. Most havent received formal training. Two-thirds dont verify AI outputs for accuracy, and more than half have already made AI-related mistakes on the job. Together, these findings point to workplaces where AI use is rising fast. But employees are making up the rules as they go, often under pressure and without a clear sense of whats safe, ethical, or expected. This kind of uncertainty isnt sustainable, especially as job expectations involve the use of AI. Requiring AI without structure is like handing out calculators in math class without ever teaching equations. Sure, the tools are powerful, but if you want good outcomes out of those tools, you need to teach people how to use them properly. Productivity is improving, but at what cost? AI can boost performance. That much is clear. A 2025 Harvard Business Review study found that generative AI improves both productivity and creativity. But it also uncovered a troubling side effect: employees felt less motivated and more disengaged when they used AI to complete tasks they once took pride in doing themselves. And burnout is rising. According to a July 2025 Upwork survey, employees who report the highest productivity gains from AI are also the most burned out. 88% of top AI users say theyre experiencing burnout, and theyre twice as likely to consider quitting compared to less productive peers. Many also feel disconnected from their companys AI strategy, with 62% reporting that they dont understand how their use of AI aligns with broader goals. It seems that the more AI increases productivity, the more it drains the people who use it. What happens when the rules are missing Right now, AI use at work is both essential and undefined. This creates three major risks for companies: Compliance breakdowns: Without clear policies, employees may expose sensitive data, rely on flawed outputs, or use AI in ways that open the door to legal risks. Subjective reviews: When using AI effectively becomes part of evaluations, but no standards exist, employees may be graded on personal bias instead of actual performance. Erosion of trust: Workers are left wondering whats okay and what isnt. Managers dont always know either. This results in second-guessing on all sides, which isnt ideal for anyone. What businesses need to do when it comes to AI The companies that thrive in this new era wont be the ones that push AI the fastest. Theyll be the ones that do three things well: Set clear policies: Define what responsible AI use looks like in your workplace. Spell out what your companies encourage, what you restrict, and where to ask for help. Offer practical, task-based training: Skip the generic webinars. Teach employees how to apply AI to their actual work, whether thats drafting policy language, summarizing customer feedback, or automating reports. Build real-time feedback loops: Hold regular check-ins to ask: Whats working? Whats unclear? What needs to evolve? AI is moving fast. Policies need to move with it. If AI is now part of the job, it needs its own set of guidelines. The companies that succeed wont be the ones who adopt it fastest, but the ones who build the right foundation and teach people how to use it well. Microsoft started the conversation. Now the rest of us need to define what responsible AI adoption looks like and put it into practice.
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E-Commerce
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