Can You Create a Pitch Deck in 30 Minutes? I Was Able to With AI

I recently spent three hours designing what was honestly a sub-par presentation deck, overanalyzing details that were not even important to my concept.

After seeing multiple ads pop up for artificial intelligence-generated presentations, I started checking out different platforms and their features, and found Gamma among the list. 

Admittedly, I originally gravitated toward Gamma for the site's crisp, welcoming user experience. But, once I learned that I could design and create messaging for a presentation at a rapid speed, I was eager to try it out. 

What is Gamma AI?

Calling itself "the Modern Memo," Gamma is an AI-powered content creation platform that was founded in 2020 by Grant Lee, James Fox and Jon Noronha. 

Its main goal is to rapidly create presentation drafts from your one-liner text prompt. It boasts pre-designed templates and themes along with blank templates to create your own (for those seeking control, not speed).

Gamma also supports integration with various tools like Google Slides and Figma, which allows it to be a collaborator in your design process, as well as functional on its own. Once you're in the presentation, you have the option to configure by audience, word density, tone and language. 

My goal was to generate a presentation deck within 30 minutes. Could Gamma deliver in time?

How to use Gamma to quickly create a presentation deck

Thankfully, the process for using Gamma is nearly as efficient as its results.

1. Head to Gamma's website and click the Sign up for free button in the middle of the screen (or the Try for free button in the upper right hand corner). You can also choose a paid subscription model between $8–$15/month.
2. Once you've made an account or signed up via Google, you will land on your personal dashboard. 
3. On your dashboard, you'll see the option to Create with AI. Here you can paste in text, give a one-line prompt or import a file or URL. To truly make the process hands-off, I used Generate mode, where I asked Gamma to create an offering deck for my consulting services.
4. To generate content, customize your settings: choose how many cards you'd like in your deck, the page style and your preferred language. 
5. Gamma will then create an outline for you. Scroll down to customize your Gamma with typeface and color themes, amount of text per slide, and to choose which of the three AI image models you want to use. (There are more AI image models available with paid subscriptions.)
6. Click the Generate button and your presentation will begin to prepare. It took about 2 minutes for my entire 8-deck presentation to load. On the left hand side of the screen you will be able to see each card within your deck. On the righthand side of the screen, there is a digital toolkit. There, you can switch out layouts and themes, add videos and media, or add forms or buttons. 
7. You can also edit text directly in the slides, or click the Edit with AI button on the top left of each card. 
8. Once you've reviewed and edited, there's an option to collaborate with team members, or export your deck out to PDF, PowerPoint, Google Slides or save as a PNG. Heads up: You need a paid subscription to remove the Gamma watermark. 

I spent about 15 minutes generating a deck with Gamma, from sign up to finish. (My goal was 30 minutes, remember?) Now, it would probably take me another 15–20 minutes to edit and refine completely to my finicky liking, but still, I was impressed. 

Who should use Gamma?

I personally think only creative hobbyists and non-creative industries should use AI-generated presentations. There's a lot to yearn for when it comes to AI templates, typefaces and style output that creative professionals can easily eclipse with both skill and an emotional connection to their work. 

Still, entrepreneurs and small businesses, consultants, educators and those new to creating presentation decks can benefit from the process. My AI-generated presentation didn't feel necessarily aligned with my personal art direction or style, and I knew there would be edits to make. 

And beware the Gamma watermark is not removable unless you're paying for a subscription -- so if you're not solely using this for structure or inspiration, you'll have to fork over cash if you want that watermark gone before making your presentation. I see this as a smart business strategy to get people to upgrade to a paid account.

Gamma's free plan did produce a solid structure that could help me refine and save a lot of time from the (daunting) design process, though. Plus, AI-created copy within the deck gave me ideas for how I actually wanted to structure my slides.

I see comparison to competitors like Pitch and SlidesAI, but Gamma differentiates in its speed: complete presentations within minutes and even a one-click redesign, which can be a useful tool when needing inspiration on a time crunch. Plus, it offers an AI chat integration feature and 400 AI credits on its free plan.

I do think about professional creatives and their intellectual property whenever AI-generated designs pop up -- whether in tool, platform, or output form. With Gamma, my verdict is there's not enough creativity within AI-generated decks to take work from a visual designer. It's obvious that my generated deck is… generated. Not bad, just different.

So, if you are someone with ideas for your presentation deck and you need a quick design, Gamma is the way to go. If you have 30 minutes to plug, play and refine a presentation deck -- and you are not a professional designer -- why not?

If you are looking for AI to take everything off your hands, I applaud your audacity -- but you'll spend a good chunk of time editing the presentation. Which is only fair.