‘AI washing’: firms are scrambling to rebrand themselves as tech-focused
TL;DR
PR executives say UK companies are forcing them to present ordinary automation as artificial intelligence UK companies are performing “yoga-level” stretches to describe themselves as AI specialists in an attempt to capitalise on the buzz around the technology, public relations firms have said. Weary communications executives tasked with securing media coverage for brands have complained that bosses in low-tech industries or running businesses that use automation but not generative AI, are increasingly demanding they are pitched to journalists as artificial intelligence companies.
Nauti's Take
AI-washing is the predictable shadow side of an overheated hype cycle – and PR pros are right to push back on the bait-and-switch. The upside: this pressure forces journalists and buyers to ask harder questions about what's actually AI versus dressed-up workflow automation.
For vendors with real substance, that's market cleanup; for the rest, it gets expensive the moment customers notice.
Sources