Does AI Need a Rebrand?
Zigging While Everyone Zags
Corporate rebrands are fascinating things. On one level, they're an admission that their initial vision of the business no longer exists. But on another level, they can represent an invigorated sense of purpose as a company unites behind a more attractive (and often larger) product strategy.
The most obvious recent example is Meta. As the company stated in its October 2021 press release, the purpose of the change was to bring the metaverse to life and help its users better connect within that virtual world.
It's not bold to argue that the company's vision for the metaverse hasn't exactly panned out. We aren't paying six-figures for virtual real estate (like some were in 2021). That said, more and more of our lives are being spent online. It's a wave that is showing no signs of slowing down.
With this background, I've also been thinking about how AI is being branded today. Yes, there is plenty of excitement about AI-related equities and the newest LLMs being released. As a Financial Times columnist just argued, "America is now one big bet on AI."
At the same time, it just feels like there has already been a backlash against AI-enabled products and services. This isn't amongst those who are perpetually online: it's among normal people who may not be the most technologically advanced.
For instance:
- Consistent backlash against "slop" content, which includes everything from AI-generated blog posts to new AI-generated video tools.
- Widespread criticism against a startup called "Friend", which is essentially an AI-powered companion that you wear around your neck.
- Polls show that people still overwhelmingly prefer speaking to human customer service agents versus AI-powered agents.
It's easy to compare this era to the 90s Dot Com bubble. There are some similarities, but I don't think there was as big a backlash against Internet companies as there is against AI. Perhaps it is because of the sheer economic disruption that may result from this new technology. Whatever the reason, the skepticism is there (and growing).
Perhaps this is a hot take, but I'm willing to take the lonelier side here.
I think that those building AI-powered products need to take a step back. The more intelligent play may actually be minimizing the messaging around AI. Instead of the underlying technology, the focus should be on outcomes. It should be about improving humans' lives, rather than investing in the technology for the sake of the technology.
Yes, we're in a gold rush. When trying to raise capital, it's naive not to talk about how your product leverages AI. But in the grand scheme of things, I think there's some value in being a slight contrarian here. There are more sophisticated rebranding people than me, but I would maybe even think about using a different word or phrase to speak about this type of artificial intelligence on demand.
Ultimately, I just think we need to be more mindful of what the average person is thinking. This technology is real and isn't going away anytime soon. In fact, it'll likely get more sophisticated. Those of us who acknowledge this reality and understand how it affects the average person will be best positioned to sell our products or services.
Prompt of the Week
I've been trying to think of some out-of-the-box ways to get more time in my life. Between work and parenting two young kids, it can be really difficult to find any semblance of free time. Naturally, I looked for an outside opinion of how I could free up more time. I tried the prompt below. Let me know what you think!
"Take a look at my daily schedule below. Considering my schedule, what steps can I take today to free up more time? Don't hesitate to be creative."