Hm. It seems as though the author is misrepresenting their interviewee here, in the title of the article, no less! Shame.

Obviously, claiming that "hype" is _the_ product of AI is categorically inane. No, "hype" is instead obviously a _byproduct_ of our current era. The "true product" will only be clear in hindsight, but at the moment the two contenders are: a) A buoyant and burgeoning industry of AI companies that only accelerates in growth -- unlikely, just like the theory of dark energy, or b) a bubbling industry which creates a the grounding framework and infrastructure for the next wave(s) of AI progress.

Whichever one of those it is, it won't be "just hype". That sort of thing is reserved for NFT markets.