We’re About to Enter the Era of Infinite Short-Form Stories, But Are We Ready?
Author’s note: I fully realize that in writing this, I’m probably missing 300 apps or experiences within platforms that are already well on the way to doing this. Sorry if I didn’t mention yours or your favorites, it wasn’t on purpose… I simply just didn’t want to spend more time digging through search results.
Over the last decade, short-form content has evolved from six-second Vines to hour-long TikToks, but the platforms have all shared one thing: they’re fueled by humans making videos for other humans to watch.
That’s about to change.
We’re standing at the edge of a massive shift: where AI doesn’t just recommend content, it generates it endlessly, on demand, and tailored to your exact preferences. It’s not some far-off, sci-fi scenario. The pieces are already here. All that’s missing is the killer experience that brings them together.
One Video Spawns a Cinematic Universe
Imagine you say: “I want to see funny skateboarding fails.”
An AI system hears that and instead of serving you existing content, it creates something new. Not just one clip, but dozens:
A grandma trying to kickflip over a mailbox
A dog stealing a skateboard mid-trick
A robot self-destructing at the top of a halfpipe
Each one different. Each one stylized to your humor. Each one never-before-seen.
And the more you watch, the more it learns. Not just what you like, but why. It builds a mental model of your taste and starts generating new content to match: characters, story arcs, tones, beats. All in real time.
This Isn’t TikTok. It’s Personalized, Programmable TV
In the future, your feed will be a dynamic entertainment engine, building and evolving stories just for you. Think Adult Swim meets Choose Your Own Adventure meets Midjourney.
This is more than a new platform. It’s a new category of entertainment. And it’s going to piss a LOT of people off, probably rightfully so.
We’re Already Seeing the Future and It’s Funny as Hell
If you’ve spent any time on TikTok lately, you’ve probably stumbled across the AI-generated Yeti videos, or the Stormtrooper barista saga, or that oddly endearing soap opera with talking potatoes. These accounts pump out bizarrely consistent stories with recurring characters, memeable voiceovers, and a vibe that’s somewhere between “indie animation” and “fever dream.”
They’re hilarious. They’re weird. And they’re working.
But here’s the kicker: These aren’t big productions.
These are early glimpses of what happens when AI tools meet storytelling instinct.
Right now, it takes a human to write the prompt, stitch the scenes, post the clips. But we’re not far from a world where the system does all of that, automatically spinning up entire content universes. We’re not talking just one character, but an ensemble cast, evolving arcs, callbacks, and cliffhangers.
Those Stormtrooper and Yeti accounts? They’re the proto-loops. The first franchises of synthetic media.
Soon, everyone will have their own.
If AI is creating all the content… where do brands fit in?
Right now, if someone uses a Nike logo or song in a generated clip, it might trigger a takedown. But in this new world, brands won’t fight the AI… they’ll feed it.
A New Model: Brand Licensing for AI Generators
Instead of trying to police every AI-generated moment, brands will license their identity to the platforms that generate them:
Nike signs a deal allowing its logo, shoes, or “swoosh” to appear in AI-generated sports montages.
Marvel licenses a “vibe pack” — not the characters, but the cinematic energy — for fan-made superhero spoofs.
Starbucks allows an AI to generate new variations of its shops, cups, and barista experiences inside personalized comedy sketches.
The content is created by the system, chosen by the user, and infused with brand elements that feel native, not forced.
What This Means for Marketers
If you’re a brand strategist, this future should both thrill and terrify you.
In this new world:
Your brand isn’t static, it’s a sandbox
Your campaigns aren’t one-offs, they’re ongoing interactions
Your audience isn’t just watching, they’re co-authoring your narrative
The brands that win will embrace this shift. They’ll move beyond sponsorships and placements to build programmable brand experiences.
What Comes Next?
We’re not just watching the rise of new tools, we’re watching the birth of synthetic culture:
Generated, personalized, iterative, and deeply human in how it hooks our attention.
Soon, you won’t scroll through videos.
You’ll co-create entire worlds — one swipe at a time.
Is there a word in English for being absolutely and simultaneously incredibly excited but also butt-clenchingly terrified of what might come?
I’m sure there is in German - they have all the great words.