While I strongly believe that AI is a highly innovative technology that will change the world in many ways, it is also clear that there is a lot of hype and excitement around the subject.
This always happens with any exciting technology, especially when there are large profits to be made.
This is not surprising, as past studies have shown that startups that mention “AI” attract 15 to 50 percent more investment than those that don’t.
Therefore, it is important to be able to tell the difference between what is real and what is fabricated by marketing departments who are simply interested in what they can sell to us.
Here we take a look at the phenomenon of AI washing: what it is, who's doing it, why it's dangerous, and perhaps most importantly, how to identify it.
What is AI cleaning?
Essentially, AI washing involves exaggerating the capabilities of a product or service sold as “AI” to make it appear more sophisticated, innovative, or intelligent than it actually is.
It can be seen as a kind of jumping on the bandwagon. The term itself comes from “greenwashing,” which is often used to describe projects, products, and services that exaggerate their environmental friendliness in order to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers.
Marketers looking to AI-wash their products or services often do things like:
· Exaggerate your capabilities – Implying that your AI models and algorithms are more powerful, useful, or flexible than they actually are.
· Uses the term “intelligent” which is misleading. In practice, it is used when the software does not use an algorithm that can learn and make decisions without being explicitly programmed how to do so.
· Provides very vague definitions – Does not specify which elements are “intelligent” and which rely on traditional software methodologies or human input.
· Downplays the amount of human input involved, either on the part of the service provider or the user.
One way to look at it is that AI washes are like putting “faster” stripes on your car without upgrading the engine, and while marketers can capitalize on the excitement around AI, the truly innovative ones are I can't offer you anything.
Why does it matter?
This may seem like the kind of harmless marketing bluster we're used to in business technology, but like greenwashing, it creates some real challenges and risks.
For example, real innovations can be suppressed or obscured because real AI breakthroughs have a hard time getting noticed amidst the hype and noise of so many exaggerated claims. there is.
Consumer trust in AI will also erode as users become cynical about industry-wide claims.
This poses a challenge for investors who want to allocate capital to truly innovative projects, potentially missing out on opportunities to bring projects to market that deliver real technological advances and value.
There is also the potential for inflated expectations about what AI can currently achieve, leading to companies setting unrealistic goals and objectives.
What are some examples of AI cleaning?
Many household appliances, from refrigerators and kettles to vacuum cleaners and thermostats, are often labeled “smart” or “intelligent” when they should more accurately be labeled “connected.” I am. Despite being connected to the internet and controllable via apps, they often lack the ability to learn and operate autonomously, as we typically expect from AI applications.
Many companies offer tools that allow you to automate the video, copy, and content creation process. In practice, significant human input is often required to produce output of acceptable quality.
As a specific example, Coca-Cola was accused of AI-washing in a campaign that claimed to have used AI to create new drinks. It was stated that the 3,000 yen flavor was “co-created” with AI, but there was no actual explanation of how AI was involved in the process. Some critics said the AI name seemed to be misleading to make the product seem more innovative than it actually was.
And in the world of finance and investment, two companies were indicted by the SEC this year for making “false and misleading statements” about the extent to which AI is used to manage investment strategies.
How to spot real AI laundry
Some people who are highly skeptical about the capabilities and potential of AI argue that because computers do not yet have true intelligence, anything called “AI” today is effectively “AI washing.” Some people do.
However, for the purposes of this article, we will use the currently accepted definition of AI: a software tool that can learn how to perform a task by training on data rather than explicitly programming it how to perform the task. Use the. This kind of real-world, business-centric AI is often referred to as machine learning.
You need to develop a skeptical eye for these claims to spot when companies are trying. Look for mentions of specific models, technologies, or algorithms being used, such as natural language processing, neural networks, or deep learning. Also, look for references to “transparent” AI, where companies are open about the types of data and algorithms involved.
Be wary of companies that seem unwilling or unable to explain how their technology works. This information can be found in case studies and white papers published on the company's website.
Also, if you're dealing with a salesperson, ask them to explain what steps they're taking to avoid data or algorithmic bias or AI illusions. If you don't have solutions to these problems, you might not actually be using AI at all.
This skepticism is important for making better decisions about which technologies to invest in and contributing to the development of a more honest and transparent AI environment in the long term.