Opinion ·
The word AI no longer sells. How to talk to your B2B customers as the hype fades
Original title, in French: “Le mot IA ne fait plus vendre. Comment parler à vos clients B2B quand la hype retombe”
- Publication
- Journal du Net (France)
- Author
- Chronique de Dzmitry Siarbun
- Published on
- 16 October 2026 · read in the page metadata
Summary
An opinion piece in Journal du Net argues that mentioning AI in a B2B offer is no longer a selling point but a sign of distrust. The author, marketing director of a B2B cleaning company, cites a Washington State University study (2024) showing that mentioning AI lowers purchase intent, a Harris Poll survey for Quad (February 2026, 2,000+ Americans) in which 81% consider it easier to embellish quality online, and Forrester (State of Business Buying 2026), according to which the integration of generative AI doubles the buying decision-making group, with 28% of B2B buyers saying they are unsettled by inaccurate AI-generated information. She also recalls penalties for 'AI washing': the SEC (USD 400,000, 2024), the FTC (more than a dozen cases in 2025) and Apple (USD 250 million settlement, May 2026) over Siri's AI features. She recommends talking about concrete results rather than the word AI.
Summary based on the full text of the article.
Read the article on Journal du Net →Figures cited
-
81 %
Americans who consider it easier for a brand to embellish a product's quality online than in store
more than 2,000 Americans surveyed, February 2026
« En février 2026, The Harris Poll a interrogé pour Quad plus de deux mille Américains, et 81% estiment qu'en ligne, il est plus facile pour une marque d'enjoliver la qualité d'un produit qu'en magasin. »
Source: The Harris Poll pour Quad
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28 %
Business buyers made less confident in their decision by inaccurate information provided by AI
B2B buyers, Forrester State of Business Buying 2026 study
« Et 28 % des acheteurs professionnels disent qu'une information inexacte fournie par l'IA les a rendus moins sûrs de leur décision. »
Source: Forrester, State of Business Buying 2026
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400,000 USD
Amount paid by two investment advisory firms penalised by the SEC for AI washing
United States, March 2024
« Ils faisaient partie des premiers dossiers de ce type, et ils leur ont coûté 400 000 dollars à elles deux. »
Source: SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission)
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10 cases
Cases opened by the FTC in 2025 over exaggerated AI claims
United States, 2025, according to a count by lawyers
« Sur la seule année 2025, la Federal Trade Commission américaine a ouvert, selon le décompte de juristes, plus d'une dizaine de dossiers pour promesses exagérées sur l'IA. »
Source: Federal Trade Commission (décompte de juristes)
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250,000,000 USD
Amount of the settlement accepted by Apple to close a class action over the AI features of Siri and Apple Intelligence
United States, May 2026
« et en mai 2026, Apple a accepté de verser 250 millions de dollars pour clore une action collective d'acheteurs d'iPhone : selon les plaignants, l'entreprise a vendu ses téléphones en s'appuyant sur des fonctions IA de Siri et d'Apple Intelligence qui n'existaient pas au moment de l'achat. »
Classification
- Country
- United States
- Company size
- All sizes
- Industries
- Media, communications, marketing · All industries, or industry not specified
- Companies
- Federal Trade Commission (cited), Quad (study author), The Harris Poll (study author), Washington State University (study author), Apple (cited), SEC (cited), Forrester (study author)
- Keywords
- AI washing, B2B marketing, buyer trust, AI regulation, AI communication, B2B sales
Entry written by Marsanne Studio from the cited article, with the help of an AI model (claude-sonnet-5). The rights to the article and its illustrations belong to Journal du Net and its author. Entry translated from French by Claude Sonnet 5.5.