Until now, the goal was simple: make it fast, functional, and not even necessarily beautiful—as long as ‘it’ worked, you won. But that era is over. AI has lowered the barrier to technical excellence so much that speed, performance, and clean UI aren’t the differentiators they once were. They’re ‘table stakes’, features everyone gets for free by default.

And in a world where anyone can build something that works, “working” stops being the point.

So, what’s next? Brand.

When things become functionally identical, people don’t choose based on features, they choose based on alignment. They want to know:

– What’s the human story behind the machine?

– What do you believe in ethically, culturally, environmentally?

– Who is this really for? (And who is it NOT for?)

The old trap (we’ve seen so many times) was branding before the product worked, but the new trap is a perfect product with no purpose or soul. And that’s the crux; AI can replicate code and pixels, but it can’t replicate purpose and meaning. This shift makes ‘brand’ the only thing that cannot be automated, cloned, or undercut overnight.

What are your thoughts on this? What makes you choose one brand over another in today’s market? Let’s discuss!