Not unlike the thousands of coffee shops that advertise themselves as “the best cup of coffee,” AI-powered labels are becoming a bit of a mockery. And none other than Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has something to say about it.
This week, Benioff jokingly posted a photo of an Oral-B rechargeable electric toothbrush advertised as having artificial intelligence features. ” He tweeted in response, “how will we know we have reached the peak of the AI hype cycle?” It seems that promises of AI capabilities have become a marketing gimmick to the point that the definition of what AI is is confusing.
Walmart advertises a toothbrush similar to the one released by Benioff for around $135. It boasts arguably unnecessary features like six different settings, smartphone connectivity, and a “customizable SmartRing with pressure control” that informs users when they’re brushing too hard. Software company IBM defines artificial intelligence as “a technology that allows computers and machines to simulate human intelligence and problem-solving abilities.” You can argue that this is just a fancy toothbrush rather than artificial intelligence, but it really depends on consumer opinion.
Naturally, companies tend to get carried away when they experience a period of rapid progress and intense public interest. Last year, generative AI went through a period of transformation, becoming a hot topic and commodity as investors funneled billions into such tools. Theories have since emerged that AI could replace workers, improve their jobs, turn the world on its head in a sci-fi scenario, or vanish like the Metaverse. Nearly a year later, we are on the verge of AI oversaturation as these tools become more common.
But despite the hype and the label, we are still in the early stages of innovation. “It’s the exhilaration and sense of inevitability of this simple narrative that makes me nervous,” says Rana Foroohar of Financial Times says of the idea that artificial intelligence is set to change everything. “Even if we believe that AI will be today’s equivalent of electricity or the Internet, we are in the very early stages of a highly complex, multi-decade transformation that is far from over.”
As the creator of Salesforce, Benioff himself has been part of the AI bandwagon, calling the development “not just the most important technology of our lifetime, but probably the most important of any lifetime,” in a 2023 interview with the Associated Press. Beninof said that same year the wave of advances in artificial intelligence will be “the biggest anyone has ever seen.”
He has since soured on the industry a bit, going off on a bit of a tangent during a sales call last winter. Lamenting problems with data theft and inaccuracy of artificial intelligence, he said that “these models know nothing about the company’s relationships with customers and in some cases are simply making it up.” His outburst ended up leading Salesforce shares to recover after the call ended. Evidently, people are ready to dive back into AI a bit after a season of popularity. Until then, get ready to brush your teeth with a smart toothbrush.