Marketplace Tech · Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Comedian Harris Altman observed that the jargon-filled, often B2B-focused language used by AI companies in public advertising mirrors how industry leaders communicate with each other. This disconnect leaves the public confused about what AI products actually do.
“It strikes me that the way that AI billboard and AI ad campaigns talk to the public feels in many ways similar to the way that the AI industry and AI leaders talk to the public. It's often maybe going maybe to investors or B2B, you know, the message is not for us.”
“Yeah, you know each other. There's like 50 of you that could buy this. Why do I have to see it?”
“I think part of it is that it helps their businesses look legitimate. So it's like, well, they're advertising on the subway, they must be a legitimate business. So they must be profitable. So they must be, like, there must be some sort of hype machine.”