Following the old advice of “don’t do what everyone else is doing” is easier than ever.
Irina Rokosz
I recently came back from vacation. What was mind-blowing was how many AI-generated menus and advertisements I saw, especially in the more touristy places. There was literally nothing else.
Yesterday I attended a food fest, and it was the same story: only AI-generated images and banners. I guess this is the new normal now.
The same thing happens online. We are still able to tell AI-generated text from miles away, but now we’re adding vibe-coded websites to that — and they all look and feel the same (here’s a more detailed analysis of what I mean).
Lastly, let’s not forget that all color moved from offline to online. As a result, our physical surroundings became super dull: everything is either white, black, a shade of grey or beige.
Now, don’t get me wrong: the products and services themselves can be great. But their design and marketing are making them appear all the same. Which makes it hard for consumers to notice, relate to, or choose any of them.
And here’s the silver lining: In an ocean of similar products and services (and that ocean keeps expanding as we speak), you don’t have to try very hard to make something different. If it’s a physical product, just make it colorful. And if it’s online or printed, just avoid using AI to generate it.