2024-01-13 18:47:42
The trends for the coming year become visible at the American tech fair CES. Not surprising this time: artificial intelligence steals the show. Many new products will be equipped with AI in 2024, from mirrors to vacuum cleaners.
Er zijn altijd trends waar grote bedrijven op inspringen. In het verleden stonden techbeurzen in het teken van 5G, virtual reality of het metaversum. En waar producten vroeger het label smart (slim) kregen, lijkt het nu in de mode om overal de letters AI aan te hangen.
Zo toonde Samsung op CES een aantal huishoudapparaten met nieuwe functies die we volgens het bedrijf danken aan kunstmatige intelligentie. Zo is er een stofzuiger die herkent wanneer laminaat overgaat op een hoogpolig vloerkleed, waarop de zuigkracht automatisch wordt aangepast.
Het bedrijf Baracoda toonde een slimme spiegel die AI gebruikt ter verbetering van je geestelijke gezondheid. Als je de spiegel vertelt dat je een rotdag hebt, komt hij met opbeurende berichten. Ook kan het apparaat meditaties leiden en lichttherapie bieden.
Zelfs huisdieren kunnen straks niet meer om kunstmatige intelligentie heen. De Minitailz-halsband van Invoxia heeft een gps-tracker zodat een hond of kat niet meer kwijtraakt, maar zet AI in om de gezondheid van het dier te meten. Zo kan de halsband bijvoorbeeld in een vroeg stadium al hartfalen ontdekken, beloven de makers.
AI sounds futuristic
For example, the stands at CES in Las Vegas were full of artificial intelligence. You will often encounter the letters AI on the shelves of electronics stores in the coming year.
So AI is hip. “Things went particularly fast following the arrival of ChatGPT,” says marketing specialist Richard Otto, who works on AI applications with his company XS2Content. Chatbot ChatGPT made artificial intelligence popular and accessible to a large audience. At the same time, forms of AI have long been found in our devices. Just look at the voice assistant in your phone or the personal recommendations from Netflix.
The term AI radiates innovation. “In the past, the word ‘smart’ was often used,” says Otto. “Before the millennium you saw many companies that had a brand name with 2000 in it. That sounded futuristic and new at the time.”
AI has now become the magic marketing word for everything new, says brand expert Paul Moers. “The term is used frequently. For consumers it means: this product is the latest. This is the most advanced there is. And that helps companies to market their products more expensively.”
Concern and admiration for AI
Placing the AI label on everything has a downside. Andrea Weihrauch, who conducts research into technology and marketing at the University of Amsterdam, sees that many people are reluctant to embrace artificial intelligence.
For example, not everyone understands the technology, which is why they stay away from it. There are also people who mainly see the possible disadvantages. For example, the technology does not yet work perfectly. AI can create incorrect information and potentially eliminate jobs.
“On the other hand, the arrival of ChatGPT has turned some fears into admiration,” says Weihrauch. Thanks to ChatGPT, people suddenly saw for themselves how powerful the technology is and what they can do with it. “As a result, companies now probably feel more room to advertise this. This does not mean that the concerns have completely disappeared. Legislators are certainly looking closely at the developments of AI.”
AI is a vague concept
The problem with AI as a marketing term may be that no one understands exactly what it means anymore. “It is used in such a broad sense that we have to be careful that it does not become an empty term,” says Moers.
Weihrauch thinks so too. “It is good that companies make it clear that a product contains AI, that is transparent. But there are still many misunderstandings regarding how the technology works and there are many variants of artificial intelligence. So let’s be careful with simply ‘AI’ to use as an umbrella term and inform people regarding what exactly the AI does.”
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