Avoid the AI Hype: Build Value, Not Buzz

The AI craze is real, and it is everywhere. Investors are throwing money at AI startups. Founders are slapping "AI" on everything from domains to product descriptions. But here is the thing: branding your startup as an AI company is a mistake. Why? Because AI is becoming as common as electricity. Soon, it will be expected, not a selling point. Think about it. When was the last time you saw a company advertise itself as "electricity-powered"? You didn't. Because electricity is everywhere. It's the foundation. AI is heading in the same direction. Companies that focus on delivering real value will thrive, not those leading with "AI-first" messaging. This isn't the first time this pattern has happened. Remember the dot-com boom? Companies rushed to add ". com" to their names. Or the blockchain era? An iced tea company even rebranded as "Long Blockchain Corp. " just to cash in. The app craze, Web3, and now AI—the pattern repeats. Technology gets hot, businesses over-index on the trend, the hype fades, and only the true value remains. Companies that define themselves by the tools they use rather than the value they create risk being left behind. Take OpenAI, for instance. They could have gone all in on the AI hype. But they didn't. They chose a domain name that didn't scream "AI. " Instead, they focused on their mission, research, and long-term goals. They built a brand around something bigger than just AI.The AI hype is already fading. A 2024 MIT Technology Review report found that many AI-first startups are failing to deliver meaningful results. Investors are no longer buying into the hype blindly. They want to see real value. Customers don't care if your product uses AI, blockchain, or fairy dust. They care about what it does for them. They want faster results, smarter recommendations, simpler experiences, and tangible benefits. The best AI-powered companies aren't advertising AI. They're solving real problems. A healthcare platform using AI to detect cancer early. A logistics company optimizing routes to reduce emissions. A retailer using AI to improve inventory predictions and prevent waste. These companies are treating AI as infrastructure, not identity. And they're outperforming AI-first companies by 2x. So, if AI is electricity, don't be the spark. Be the outlet. Sparks get attention for a moment, but outlets provide consistent, reliable power. The startups that last will be the ones that use AI as a tool to solve real problems, not just as a buzzword. AI isn't the selling point. It's not the story. The real transformation is happening in the way AI is reshaping industries from the inside out. The companies that survive this shift won't be the ones branding themselves around AI. They'll be the ones using it to solve real problems—without making a big deal about it. Companies that shout "AI" the loudest won't win. The real players are already moving on. They're using AI as a tool, not a marketing strategy. And that's why they'll outlast the hype.