By Nicholas Spiro, Chief Commercial Officer, Viral Nation
LEGO just pulled off something radical: it launched its new“smart” product, the LEGO SMART Play System, without using AI, and social media critics are loving it. In an era where innovation is often equated with AI, LEGO reminded us of a truth the industry is starting to rediscover: not all progress needs to be artificial.
The momentum behind the brand’s new product is coming from delight. From wonder. From the simple joy of building something with your hands and watching imagination do the rest. We see the beginning of a backlash playing out across social platforms, where artificial influencers, AI-generated ads, and non-human content are increasingly met with increasing amounts of cultural skepticism.
When optimization replaces imagination
What LEGO’s moment exposes is a growing fatigue with how innovation has been framed over the past few years. Too often, “new” has become shorthand for faster, automated, and often a worse customer experience. Brands chase scale before they understand connection. The result is work that technically performs but rarely resonates or can build community.
As more brands adopt the same tools, platforms, and optimization playbooks; creativity risks collapsing into sameness. When innovation is measured primarily by efficiency, you lose the spark of humanity that gave Social its power in the first place. The work may land in the short-term, but it leaves a transactional impression and brand identity and association may be the sacrifice. In an era shaped by quick changes to the algorithms, a major casualty has been the long term brand building that has defined marketing for 100 years.
Audiences are already pushing back
This matters, especially in the real world, for example, as parents increasingly push back against screen-heavy childhoods.“Lo-fi play” is trending on social media for a reason – think Yoto, Lovevery, Magnatiles. Families are actively trying to pull kids away from iPads and into experiences that are tactile, immersive, and open-ended. LEGO’s Smart Bricks tap directly into that cultural trend. They offer something interactive without screens, engaging without being extractive.
In many ways, LEGO is redefining what Smart actually means. We have all somehow forgotten that smart doesn’t have to mean AI. Sometimes smart means technology that fades into the background, supporting play instead of making it technology first.
The real test for brands in an AI-saturated market
LEGO reinforces something we’ve quietly forgotten: not everything needs to be optimized. Childhood is a great example. Playtime doesn’t need AI. By resisting the pressure to make every experience “smarter” through AI, LEGO preserved freedom, and childhood creativity.
The same principles apply to influencer and community marketing. There is a practical implication here for brands navigating an AI-saturated landscape. The question is no longer whether to use AI but when and where it actually adds value. When technology removes friction, it can enhance the experience. When it replaces judgment, and creativity, and humanity itself – that’s the real warning sign for Brands.
In an AI-obsessed world, the brands that stand out will be the ones that truly know when technology enhances the human experience and when it gets in the way. LEGO’s Smart Bricks are proof that the most powerful experiences and the strongest communities are built when humans, not algorithms, lead the way.
