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If "AI" doesn't attract customers why are companies hyping it so hard? Are they just dumb or is there another factor? (self.asklemmy)

submitted 3 months ago by Acamon to c/asklemmy

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I've seen reports and studies that show products advertised as including / involving AI are off-putting to consumers. And this matches what almost every person I hear irl or online says. Regardless of whether they think that in the long-term AI will be useful, problematic or apocalyptic, nobody is impressed Spotify offering a "AI DJ" or "AI coffee machines".

I understand that AI tech companies might want to promote their own AI products if they think there's a market for them. And they might even try to create a market by hyping the possibilities of "AI". But rebranding your existing service or algorithms as being AI seems like super dumb move, obviously stupid for tech literate people and off-putting / scary for others. Have they just completely misjudged the world's enthusiasm for this buzzword? Or is there some other reason?

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[–] [email protected] 69 points 3 months ago (1 children)

My understanding is that a lot of venture capitalist funding is driven by gut feel and personal connection. Like, they'll tell you that they're the vanguard of the future with a vision, but most of the time they're just cliquey bros going "dude, sick" and burning money.

There's an anecdote in the book "the cold start problem" about how zoom got funding even though the guys funding it thought it was a solved problem, that a new video company wouldn't go anywhere, but the zoom guy was their bro so they gave him millions of dollars.

I feel like it's possible some future will look back at this the way we look at feudalism. Just like, that's such a bad system , why did people put up with it?

[–] MolochAlter 2 points 3 months ago

Just like, that's such a bad system , why did people put up with it?

Because hindsight is 20/20 and people had preconceptions back then that filled in the gaps, as they do right now.

The gaps are and were actually full of nonsense like "he's my buddy I'll give him money" but people expect the process to be a lot more reliable and solid, because they think they'd be more careful with that kind of money, not realising that to some millions are pocket change (and nobody is careful with pocket change) and that others gamble with other people's money and thus are a lot more cavalier.