The rapid growth of AI technology blurs the lines between genuine innovation and marketing hype
San Francisco: So, there’s this buzz about AI, right? It’s getting harder to figure out what’s real and what’s just clever marketing. Technologists are saying that the term “artificial intelligence” is so vague that companies can easily exaggerate what their products can do. It’s almost like AI is becoming a buzzword more than a real tech thing.
Jehangir Amjad, a tech exec and Stanford lecturer, likes to challenge his students with a fun question: Was the moon landing in 1969 a product of AI? He believes that some of the algorithms used back then are similar to what we see today. It’s wild to think about how far we’ve come, but it also shows how tricky it is to define AI.
Swapnil Shinde, who runs an AI bookkeeping company, has noticed a ton of startups claiming to be “AI-powered.” But he warns that many of these companies only use AI in a tiny part of their product. If they’re just slapping on a ChatGPT wrapper, they won’t last long. It’s all about solving real problems, not just riding the AI wave.
Theresa Fesinstine, who started an AI education company, has seen businesses rushing to adopt AI to stay competitive. She believes that some companies are overselling basic automation as cutting-edge AI. It’s important for everyone to understand what AI really is, so they don’t get left behind.
Ed Watal, another tech expert, points out that the ambiguity around AI lets all sorts of products claim to be AI. He says true AI systems can analyze data and make decisions, but many products out there are just using predictive analytics, which is a bit of a stretch.
There’s also this thing called “AI washing,” where companies promise their AI can do everything, but in reality, it can’t even handle simple tasks without human help. Amjad emphasizes that while AI can recognize patterns and generate ideas, it’s not capable of true creativity. That’s still a human thing.
In the end, it’s all about managing expectations. The hype around AI is real, but we need to be careful not to overdo it. Amjad believes that while AI is exciting, it’s built on a long history of technology, and we should temper our expectations as we move forward.
