The 'AI Washing' Bubble Is Getting Obvious to Everyone

An HN thread on 'AI washing' is getting sharp engagement, with commenters noting that non-tech companies are rebranding themselves as AI-focused in the same way companies called themselves 'cloud' a decade ago. The examples include Allbirds claiming an 'AI graphics division.' The sentiment in the thread is not just eye-rolling but analytical: commenters note that investors who fall for this are the same ones who rewarded 'blockchain strategy' announcements in 2017.

This connects to a broader Reddit thread in r/SaaS where founders are questioning whether the AI hype is real. One founder building a market intelligence platform for a niche sector wrote bluntly that after six months, building software you would actually put in front of customers is 'really freakin hard' even with AI tools.

The gap between AI as a marketing claim and AI as a genuine product capability is widening in both directions: the marketing claims are getting wilder while the people actually building with AI are getting more precise about what it can and cannot do.