Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to be a divisive and explosive topic and even the American government is getting involved in the discussion.

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a statement saying that “false or unsubstantiated claims about a product’s efficacy” is the FTC’s “bread and butter.”

In other words, keep your AI claims in check because the FTC views AI as an “ambiguous term” and a “marketing term”.

The FTC added, “Right now it’s a hot one. And at the FTC, one thing we know about hot marketing terms is that some advertisers won’t be able to stop themselves from overusing and abusing them.”

The FTC is concerned that companies in Silicon Valley and elsewhere are exaggerating the abilities of AI products and the agency is also saying that comparing an AI product to a non-AI one is a no-no. The agency said, “You need adequate proof for that kind of comparative claim, too, and if such proof is impossible to get, then don’t make the claim.”

Finally, the folks at the FTC said that companies need to guarantee that their product actually uses AI and that they’re not just blowing smoke. They said, “If you think you can get away with baseless claims that your product is AI-enabled, think again.” The added that they have employees who can “look under the hood and analyze other materials to see if what’s inside matches up with your claims.”

Companies pursuing AI technology, the ball is now in your court…choose wisely!