Why every product and software nowadays comes with AI and what does that mean

by Stélio Inácio, Founder at Jon AI and AI Specialist

The Great AI Sprinkle: Why Is AI in Everything Now?

Have you noticed something strange lately? It seems like every product, app, and service is suddenly "AI-powered." Your refrigerator, your toothbrush, even your cat's door flap—they all boast about their newfound intelligence. It's as if companies have a giant shaker of "AI" and are sprinkling it on everything they make. What's going on? Is this all just hype, or is there a real revolution happening?

The truth, as it often is, lies somewhere in the middle. Let's separate the genuinely useful from the genuinely ridiculous.

All Aboard the AI Hype Train

Let's be honest: some AI integrations are just plain silly. The pressure for companies to appear innovative is immense, leading to a gold rush where AI is added to products whether it makes sense or not. This has given us some truly baffling creations.

AI Refrigerators: Samsung's AI fridges claim to optimize food storage. But do you really need a complex artificial intelligence to decide where to put last night's lasagna? For most, it's a high-priced feature looking for a problem to solve.
AI Toothbrushes: An AI-powered toothbrush from brands like Oral-B says it can analyze your brushing style. While fascinating, it often ends up being a very expensive gadget whose core function isn't much better than a standard electric toothbrush.
AI Pet Gadgets: From AI-powered cat doors to dog bowls that monitor eating habits, these products often over-engineer a simple task, adding cost and complexity for minimal real-world benefit.

This trend shows that sometimes, the "AI" label is more about marketing than creating a truly smarter product.

Beyond the Hype: The Real Business Strategy

So if some of it is just for show, why are serious companies like Microsoft, Google, and Adobe investing billions to bake AI into their core software? There are two powerful strategic reasons.

1. The "Re-bundling" and The Moat

The first reason is about creating a "sticky" ecosystem. Think about Microsoft Copilot. By embedding the same AI assistant across its entire product suite—Windows, Word, Outlook, Teams—Microsoft makes its whole ecosystem more powerful and interconnected. The AI in your email "talks" to the AI in your calendar, which "talks" to the AI in your team chat. This creates a formidable competitive advantage—a "moat" around their castle. The more integrated and useful the AI is across their products, the less likely you are to switch to a competitor's app, even if it's a great standalone tool.

2. Creating Actually Smarter Tools

The second reason is that when done right, AI creates genuinely better products that deliver real value. The goal isn't always to create a brand new AI tool, but to embed intelligence into the tools we already use to make them more efficient. A perfect example is Notion AI. Notion didn't create a competitor to ChatGPT; instead, it integrated AI into its existing workspace. This allows you to "talk" to your own notes, summarize your own documents, and organize your own projects instantly. This isn't a gimmick; it's a powerful productivity boost that has been shown to provide a real return on investment for companies.

Pro Tip: How to Judge an "AI" Product

When you see a product labeled "AI-powered," ask yourself one simple question: "What problem does this actually solve for me?" If the AI helps you create presentations faster, summarizes your meetings to save you time, or helps you find information within your own files, it's likely providing real value. If it's just adding a flashy, expensive feature to a simple appliance, you might be looking at the AI Hype Train in action.

Quick Check

According to the lesson, what is a key strategic reason for a company like Microsoft to integrate its "Copilot" AI across all its software?

A) To make products more expensive, like AI-powered toothbrushes.

B) To create a "sticky" and interconnected ecosystem that is difficult for customers to leave.

C) Solely to compete with Samsung's AI refrigerator.

Recap: Why every product and software nowadays comes with AI

What we covered:

The "AI Sprinkle" phenomenon includes both marketing hype (like AI shoes) and genuine innovation.
Some companies add AI to products for novelty, leading to "ridiculous" integrations that don't add much value.
However, the real business drivers are powerful: companies are "re-bundling" AI into their software to create strong, interconnected ecosystems (a competitive moat).
Truly useful AI is embedded into existing tools to enhance productivity and solve real problems, like Notion AI helping you search your own documents.

Why it matters:

Understanding the "why" behind this trend helps you become a smarter consumer. You can look past the hype and identify the AI tools that will actually make your life easier.

Next up:

We'll dive into the most popular AI tools: AI Chatbots. We'll explore what they are and why they have become so important.

Jon AI Services