Why is it so hard to hype AI at launch?
Credentialed crowds. Cinematic intros. Surprise celebrity cameos. Awkward live demos. By now we all know the hallmarks of a major tech launch event, like the “Made by Google” hardware showcase, the Meta Connect developer conference, Apple’s annual iPhone release, or Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked. As namers with one foot in the tech industry, we treat these events the way a dedicated fan treats an album drop. We’re in the weeds—analyzing lyrical word choices, finding throughlines, and anticipating what they’ll do next.
Launch events are of course marked by a keynote, either pre-recorded or livestreamed, designed to stir up excitement about the latest developments and help us all decide whether this is the year we’ll finally upgrade. In the early-to-mid-aughts, Steve Jobs and his turtleneck set the bar for the modern-day keynote—creating illustrative, now-iconic moments like when he slid a MacBook Air out of a manila envelope. Few others have achieved such impact through sheer simplicity (honorable mention to Bill Gates’s dance moves).
Lately, it certainly hasn’t felt so simple. Tech companies face the challenge of selling a lot of benefits that aren’t as immediately obvious as, say, a hyper-thin form factor. How do you take an event format designed to unveil revolutionary products that change everything (as Jobs described the iPod) and use it to generate hype around the much more abstract concept of AI?
AI has been a keyword on repeat and a huge selling point at these events for the last few years. From Samsung’s Galaxy AI and Google’s Gemini to Apple Intelligence and Meta AI, these systems are being integrated into new products and powering new features across the board. Wish you could translate a conversation in real time? There’s Live Translation. Sick of being placed on hold forever? There’s Hold Assist. Need an image of your cat dancing on the rings of Saturn? There’s Nano Banana.
Showcasing these newfound powers in a livestream event is hard, no matter how charismatic the speaker or cutting-edge the technology. After logging some serious hours watching these events, a few possible reasons have emerged.
Expectations vs. reality
What we’re being sold is experiential, so it’s hard to know how much a particular AI feature will improve our lives until we’ve had a chance to try it over time. Unlike seeing a sleek new smartwatch design or a phone that defies all laws of physics, we have to imagine how a feature will fit in. Will I like how the AI writes emails in “my voice”? Do I really sound like that? Will editing this take more time than writing the email myself? And most importantly, will this feature even work? Sometimes they get stage fright.
There are a lot of new features to keep track of
And they all have names. In our work with big product ecosystems, we sometimes come across the issue of an overcrowded portfolio, and these keynotes can begin to feel that way. The desire to name everything is understandable—there are teams who’ve poured everything into making these technologies available to the public. But not everything warrants a name and a special segment in the keynote, especially if it’s an update to an existing concept, “now with AI.”
The names lean more descriptive
And with good reason. Most AI features are designed to augment our day-to-day, so they need to feel familiar or at least like a natural fit. It’s hard to imagine using a name like Phantom Filter or Soundwarden for a more intelligent version of Call Screening. Descriptive, clarity-driven names help create continuity, signaling more of a natural evolution than an AI revolution. So while this makes sense from a naming strategy perspective, it also makes it harder to generate excitement around having powerful AI at your fingertips.
There’s always a buzzkill moment
And it’s always about privacy & security. Since AI systems create potential risks for data exposure and confidentiality, there’s a real need for these companies to address how they’re delivering such highly personalized, predictive experiences without sacrificing the privacy of their users. This is clearly important (and sometimes required) to convey, but it comes as a stark reminder of AI’s inherent tradeoffs—and feels like the equivalent of dropping “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails in the middle of a dance mix.
We’re reaching a point where AI is less of a shiny new object and more of an expected ingredient, so it’s safe to assume that it will take more of a backseat in future launch events. Even at last month’s iPhone 17 event, the term “Apple Intelligence” was hardly used—shifting the focus back to a commitment to thoughtful design.
As cringe as they can be, these events also feel like important entries into the time capsule. Each keynote and conference is representative of a moment in time, showing us what personal tech looks like today and where it’s headed. As long as they’re around, we’ll come for the announcements and stay for the Hamilton-style raps.
