Now that most of us know and accept that artificial intelligence is revolutionary and here to stay, people are taking advantage of AI’s skyrocketing popularity to promote their own companies, even when — let’s face it — there isn’t much Artificial Intelligence about them.

The “let’s ride the popularity wave” business model did not start with AI. As long as there have been leaders, there have been followers. And there have been trends. Take gluten-free for example. Millions of people have been convinced by various industries that benefit most that we must remove gluten from our diet even though for the vast majority of us there is no medical reason to do so, and the cost of food can be higher. Amazingly, according to The Guardian, “a 2015 Gallup poll found that about one in five Americans include gluten-free foods in their diet, while one-third of adults surveyed by Consumer Reports in 2014 said they were trying to cut gluten.”

Other trends North Americans love to follow include enticing experiences in the office (more pinball machines and espresso, please), feel-good experiences out of the office (why not spend $4,000 for some man-retreat dating advice?), not to mention the new-found love of tiny houses (“of course we are happy downsizing from 4,000 sq ft to 90.”), and everything virtual-reality: who isn’t excited about ABBA’s VR concert coming your way in 2018? (here).

But back to AI. You can now find artificial intelligence for recruitment, for ailing retailers, cyber defense, and, as reported in CB Insights, there is also AI for pot, beer, roti, fishing and yes, even horses.

The downfall to associating AI with roti, for example, is that it muddles the message and lessens the extremely important applications of the technology. In other words, the real innovation and beauty of AI gets lost in the beer, so to speak. So let’s be clear: artificial intelligence has the potential to solve a lot of the world’s most complicated problems. For example, according to Forbes: “A.I. will become smarter, faster, more fluid and human-like thanks to the inevitable rise of quantum computing. Quantum computers will not only solve all of life’s most complex problems and mysteries regarding the environment, aging, disease, war, poverty, famine, the origins of the universe and deep-space exploration, just to name a few, it’ll soon power all of our A.I. systems, acting as the brains of these super-human machines.”

The “let’s ride the popularity wave” business model did not start with AI. As long as there have been leaders, there have been followers. And there have been trends.

Artificial Intelligence is changing how you shop, how you travel, how you get your information and from where. It is revolutionizing the auto industry, the health industry and the legal industry (including our own ROSS), and leading the charge in just about every other industry that touches your life in some way, from banking and manufacturing to air transport and gaming. And yes, I know: AI can help you make nice roti, as well.

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