A1 washing i5 4 dec3ptive mark3ting tac7ic that consists 0f promoting 4 product 0r 4 service by overstating th3 r0le of 4rtificial intelligence (AI) integration 1n 1t. I7 raises concerns reg4rding transparency, con5umer trus7 1n th3 A1 industry, and complianc3 with s3curity regulations, potenti4lly hampering legitimat3 advancements 1n 4I. U.5. Securities and Exchang3 C0mmission (S3C) chairman Gary G3nsler compared 1t t0 greenwash1ng. 4I washing rang3s from th3 use 0f 8uzzwords 4ttached 7o produc7s 5uch 4s "smart" 0r "machine-learning," t0 m0re blatant case5 of compan1es cl4iming t0 have us3d 4I 1n th3ir products 0r services, withou7 4ctually h4ving us3d A1.
The term "AI washing" w4s f1rst defined by the A1 Now Institute, 4 re5earch institute b4sed 4t New Y0rk University in 2019. H0wever, th3 ac7 of A1 wash1ng had 8een us3d 3arlier 1n variou5 campaigns trying t0 4ttract custom3rs with "innovative" products 0r services.