By Shivaji Dasgupta
In early February, US tech stocks lost $285 million in valuation, with a collateral impact on TCS and Infosys. The ‘SaaSpocalypse’, as menacingly coined, was provoked by 11 new plugins by Anthropic’s Claude Cowork,endangering employment in software and legal services. Thus, further instigating the global quest for a sustainable man-machine equilibrium. Where AI genuinely enhances, and not terminally destroys, civilisation.
In December 2025, ChatGPT launched its first ever advertising campaign in India, with attractive. yet disturbing. messaging. It clearly seems to project AI as an absolute ‘source’ of expertise, as opposed to being a prolific ‘bridge’. The first in the series, hawking English language proficiency, is truthfully logical, as an outcome enhancer for multi-faceted skill development. The rest can be a cause for worry.
Winning strategies
A second creative breezily provides winning strategies for getting selected to a competitive Cricket team. Another, smoothly suggests a simplistic business model for a kirana store owner, to get richer quickly. While the modus operandi for launching a Cricket School is effortlessly articulated in one more piece.
In these three cases, a foundational human expertise, requiring high-end skills, navigating enormous uncertainty and offering premium employment, is being projected as a routine AI skillset. So, to an unsuspecting scalable audience, Altman and not Achrekar can curate the next Tendulkar.
The hard-earned professional potency of business builders,subject matter experts and dashing innovators, is played up in ‘inference’ mode. As if, the LLM is perfectly trained, with wisdom beyond the ages.
Citizen expectations
Being the unabashed pioneer, Open AI must establish citizen expectations, transparently and responsibly. AI is definitely a productive and unprecedented ally to identify the right coach, the appropriate adviser, the inspirational business cases, the optimal experience solution, or the finest podcast. Also, a powerful facilitator and service solution provider, but never a substitute for the highest end of human ingenuity and creativity. Any attempt to stake a claim on this Godzilla territory, is surely inadvisable.
There can be so many valuable narratives. Self management of health and learning journeys. Deeper accuracy in the drug development process. Personalisation in multiple journeys, from fashion to vacation. Matrimonial services rendered more accountably and business alliances filtered with fine scrutiny. Predictive life enhancement of every kind and as a facilitator of engaging content.
The possibilities for an advertising campaign are endless, as long as they emanate from desirable soothsaying.
The author is a commentator on branding and marketing. Views expressed are personal and may not be that of financialexpress.com.