A traditional UGC shoot for a single ad concept typically runs:

• $150–$500 per creator

• 3–7 days turnaround (sourcing, filming, editing)

• Revisions mean re-shoots, adding another week

AI-generated UGC-style ads (using tools like Higgsfield) flip that:

• No camera, no crew, no shipping product to creators

• Turnaround in hours to a couple days per concept

• Revisions are just re-prompts, not re-shoots

• Easy to test 5-10 hook variations in the time it'd take to film one

The tradeoff is you need someone who knows how to prompt and edit these well — raw AI output without direction still looks generic. But for brands running paid ads that need constant creative refresh (which is most DTC e-commerce and local service businesses), the speed and cost math is hard to ignore.

Curious if others here are testing AI UGC in their ad mix yet, and what's working.