What actually happened
'AI' went from a technical term to a marketing sticker slapped on everything from chatbots to spreadsheets. A lot of what's sold as 'AI' is ordinary software with a buzzword attached.
Why it happened
Hype attracts money. Saying 'AI' can raise funding, lift a share price, or close a sale, so there's a strong incentive to use the word loosely, whether or not there's much substance behind it.
How it hit your wallet
People are making real decisions, buying tools, investing, changing how they work, based on a word they can't define. Learning to ask 'what does this actually do?' protects your time and your money.