AI Washing pushing a new form of consumerism?

Almost 37 years ago, After the emergence of Greenwashing by environmentalist Jay Westerveld, we faced a similar phenomenon emerging as "AI washing". This phenomenon involves misleading consumers through exaggerated claims and tactics related to (AI) capabilities, raising concerns about whether companies are using this as a marketing buzzword rather than a genuine enhancement to the customer experience and human optimization. Does this mean AI washing is setting the foundation for a new type of consumerism?

With the increasing boom of Chat GPT, Midjourney, and other leading (AI) tools, we are starting to see new companies emerge offering a variety of services and alternatives. Raising multiple questions:

Are these solutions truly maximizing machine learning, or are they simply another form of chatbot that provides answers to predefined tasks? Or are some companies just using it to build content and visual material to be sold on Etsy?

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, the CEO of Ramp, Eric Glyman, talked about the concept of AI washing in the Fintech space, mentioning that he has never met a customer who wishes to chat with their bank account but rather asks to find ways to spend less on a certain service. This narrows down to the point that the true measure of AI innovation should be its ability to enhance our surroundings, serving as a tool or even as an extension of human capabilities.

AI needs to provide significant user value. If AI is not helping you improve your workflow or interaction with a simple command, then it is just an answer to a task set to perform. As humans, we want to integrate tools, apps, and interactions in our daily life that allow us to perform more efficiently. We want tools that accelerate our accounting, workflow, or even our personal optimization regardless of the sector.

True (AI) in the right quantity is a tool for human enhancement.

Food for thought...

With AI's increasing speed, we are seeing further AI integration in both physical and digital products. This integration needs to be done in a smart and engaging way that facilitates tasks and interactions and not just builds extra steps that can be lacking or misleading.

We will start seeing more physical and digital products become not only user-centric but also more "AI-centric." By this, I mean (AI) will need to be seen as a human extension and a tool for human enhancement and optimization.

Could this integration lead to more efficient and seamless human experiences, or could this be the start of a sci-fi human-machine blend similar to what is being done by Elon Musk at Neuralink: a brain chip that has recently received approval for human studies from the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA)?

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Food for thought is a small space to share opinions and ideas on topics I find relevant in my day-to-day seeking to bring design into the mix. Comments, ideas, and debates are always welcome.