For years, sustainability language became a standard feature of corporate communications. Companies published ESG reports, announced net-zero ambitions, and filled investor presentations with environmental commitments. Some organisations drove meaningful change. Others simply learned the language faster than they changed the business itself.
Now, many companies are approaching artificial intelligence in much the same way.
Across industries, AI has rapidly become the default signal of innovation and future readiness. Product launches are suddenly “AI-powered.” Earnings calls are saturated with AI references. Workforce reductions are increasingly attributed to AI transformation, even when the underlying operational changes are far more traditional. The term itself has become a branding device as much as a technical reality.
This growing trend of “AI washing” mirrors the earlier rise of greenwashing. Companies understand that investors, customers, and markets want to believe they are participating in the next major shift. The risk is that hype begins to outpace substance.
The challenge is not that AI lacks potential. Quite the opposite. AI is already reshaping workflows, decision-making, industrial operations, and customer engagement at enormous scale. The problem emerges when organisations prioritise perception over implementation. Recent research suggests many companies remain in very early stages of AI maturity despite aggressive public positioning.
There is also a broader trust issue developing. Sustainability communications became more credible once organisations started grounding claims in measurable data, third-party assurance, governance frameworks, and transparent reporting. AI will likely follow the same path.
Over time, markets will become less interested in whether a company mentions AI and more interested in whether it can demonstrate operational value, governance, accountability, workforce integration, and measurable outcomes.
The companies that navigate this transition successfully will probably be the ones treating AI less like a marketing slogan and more like an operational capability that requires oversight, transparency, and long-term strategy.
Across corporate earnings calls, investor presentations and marketing pitches, “artificial intelligence” has become the buzzword of choice. Yet a troubling pattern lies under the hype. Many claims vastly overstate actual AI sophistication, misleading people about true capabilities, future outcomes and potential harms. A case in point is the recent 600% share price surge of Allbirds, after the once-trendy sustainable footwear business issued a vague announcement in April 2026 that it would pivot to AI. In the coming months, the company plans to rename itself NewBird AI and give up its status as a public benefit corporation.
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