According to my air conditioner, I’m a complicated human whose comfort can only be managed by Artificial Intelligence.
According to me?
It just turns on when it’s hot.
We live in a world where rice cookers, robot vacuums, and camera gimbals are all allegedly “AI-powered.” It sounds cool, sure — futuristic even. But when everything is “AI,” what actually is?
This post isn’t a rant. It’s a friendly reality check. Because I use DJI gear daily, and my house is full of so-called smart appliances… and I’ve started noticing how often “AI” is being used as a buzzword, not a breakthrough.
🎥 When DJI “AI” Is Actually a Smart Shortcut
Let’s start with my DJI video gear. My DJI Neo has a “Follow Me” tracking feature that feels like magic — it locks onto you and follows your movement, claiming to be “AI-powered.” My DJI Pocket 3 and DJI Osmo 360 also feature AI ActiveTrack, which helps center the subject in the frame with ease. These features are fun and genuinely helpful.
But my DJI Avata 2, for example, has no tracking at all — it’s just a powerful FPV drone where you control every frame.
And even the “AI” features in the Neo or Pocket 3 don’t really learn or adapt. They’re following shapes, contrast, or movement — using smart, pre-defined logic. That’s impressive tech, but not exactly the stuff of sci-fi. It’s software with good programming, not intelligence that grows.
Don’t get me wrong — I love the functionality. It feels magical.
But calling it AI is like calling cruise control in your car “autonomous driving.”
🌀 My Air Conditioner “Learns”… Sort Of
Then there’s my home air conditioner. It has a proud “AI” button that supposedly “learns my preferences.”
What it really does is:
- Measure the temperature
- Set the fan speed
- Try to balance power saving with comfort
It doesn’t evolve. It doesn’t adjust based on my habits. It doesn’t whisper, “Hey Karl, I noticed you get sweaty after FPV flights. Want to cool off quicker today?”
Nope. It just toggles a pre-defined energy-saving mode.
Again — useful. But let’s not pretend it’s HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
🤯 A World Full of Pretend-AI
Here’s a quick breakdown of what I mean:
🤖 AI vs. “AI” — A Handy Reality Check
| Product | Marketed As “AI” | Actually… |
|---|---|---|
| DJI ActiveTrack | AI subject tracking | Pre-programmed object recognition |
| Smart AC | Learns your comfort | Adjusts based on temp sensors |
| Smart fridge | AI cooking assistant | Reads labels, shows recipes |
| Robot vacuum | AI navigation | Room-mapping + obstacle sensors |
| Phone camera | AI photo mode | Scene detection + image tuning |
You see the pattern?
These features are great. They feel smart.
But that doesn’t make them Artificial Intelligence in the sense of machine learning, neural networks, or decision-making models.
⚠️ The Problem: Confusion + Unnecessary Fear
Here’s why this matters.
We’re living in a time where the word “AI” stirs up fear — job loss, deepfakes, robots taking over, society collapsing. The media thrives on it.
But at the same time, we’re casually calling everything from your toothbrush to your desk lamp “AI.”
That’s confusing.
It waters down the term and makes real conversations about AI ethics, safety, and policy harder to have.
And it gives smart automation features too much credit — or worse, undeserved suspicion.
🧠 What’s Really AI?
Real AI involves:
- Learning from data
- Predicting outcomes
- Adapting to new patterns
- Often, not doing exactly what it was told
If it doesn’t learn, adapt, or make independent decisions —
It’s probably just a good feature dressed in marketing hype.
👋 Even This Blog Post Was Co-Written… by AI
Ironically — and maybe fittingly — this very blog post was co-written with the help of an actual AI assistant (hi, ChatGPT 👋).
But unlike my AC or camera features, this AI didn’t just push a button and guess my preferences. It helped me think, reframe ideas, structure my points, and even toss in a few sarcastic one-liners. That’s the difference. It didn’t just automate — it collaborated.
🧠 Fun fact: “GPT” in ChatGPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer — which basically means it’s a language model that was trained on a vast amount of data to generate human-like responses using a deep learning system called a Transformer.
So yes, it actually is AI — not just a glorified on/off switch.
So yes — there is such a thing as real, creative, and useful AI.
But let’s not confuse that with the “intelligence” in your toaster.
💬 Your Turn: What’s the Weirdest “AI” Feature You’ve Seen?
Have you spotted a silly or questionable “AI” feature on a product?
Drop it in the comments, tag me, or send me a message — let’s build a Hall of Fame for Fake AI together.
Because clarity matters. And let’s be real…
If my AC was truly intelligent, it would also bring me a cold drink.
Experiences - Life - Inspiration 🇨🇭🇯🇵 
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