The Rise of 'AI Washing': Why Companies Are Pretending to Use Artificial Intelligence

In the modern business world, artificial intelligence (AI) has become the most popular buzzword. From shoe brands to basketball equipment companies, businesses everywhere are trying to prove they are part of the AI revolution. However, public relations professionals say that many of these companies are going too far. They are now using a term called “AI washing” to describe businesses that claim to be AI experts when they are actually just using basic, older technology.

According to The Guardian, communications experts are feeling tired of this trend. They often have to tell their bosses that simply adding the word “AI” to a product name will not impress journalists. One publicist based in London noted that reporters often roll their eyes when they hear the term because they see so many false claims. Companies are desperate to stay relevant, but their attempts to link their products to AI are often very weak. For example, one property company tried to market a simple handheld building scanner as an AI tool. While the device might use a small amount of software to speed up the work, it is really just a form of automation—a process where machines perform simple, repeated tasks—rather than true artificial intelligence.

This “AI washing” is happening across many different industries. The Guardian reports that some genetics companies have hyped up blood tests as being powered by AI, while other brands have tried to label everything from basketball hoops to safety lasers with the same term. Imran Ariff, a media strategist, explained that brands can easily “drink their own Kool-Aid.” This means they become so proud of their work that they start to believe their own exaggerated marketing, even when it is not true. These companies often force their public relations teams to send out press releases about AI, even when the PR workers know that the claims are not honest.

There are several reasons why companies are doing this. Many large businesses are currently cutting thousands of jobs while claiming they are moving toward AI. By branding themselves as tech-focused, they hope to look like modern, forward-thinking organizations. However, this strategy has risks. As one account director noted, the public is becoming “numb” to the constant use of words like “AI-driven” or “AI-powered.” When every product is called AI, the term loses its meaning. Journalists are now much less likely to cover these stories because they have seen so many examples of companies exaggerating their capabilities.

Beyond the marketing hype, some experts are concerned about how society uses these tools. In a recent article for The Guardian, writer Wendy Liu expressed worry about the way AI is changing human habits. She argues that tasks like coding and writing are valuable because they are difficult. When people use AI to do this work for them, they avoid the “hard thinking” that helps them learn and grow. She calls this “cognitive offloading,” which is the act of letting a machine do the thinking so that a person does not have to. She fears that if young people see technology as a “black box”—a system where we see the result but cannot understand how it works—they will lose control over their own creative processes.

Ultimately, the rush to label everything as AI reflects a wider pressure on businesses to appear cutting-edge. While some companies are genuinely using advanced technology to solve complex problems, many others are simply trying to follow a trend. For the average consumer, it is becoming harder to tell the difference between real innovation and simple marketing tricks. As the hype continues, the challenge for the public will be to look past the labels and understand what these tools are actually doing. For now, it seems that “AI washing” will remain a common, if frustrating, part of the business landscape.