“Marketing slop” among public safety tech was around way before GenAI went mainstream

Everyone is currently talking about the "AI slop" clogging up our feeds. We see low-effort articles and automated emails generated by AI. It feels like a new problem.

In public safety tech, the only new part is AI. So, this one goes out to my public safety friends and those GTM leaders selling to them.

I see a lot of sloppy sales and marketing tactics in an era where clarity should be the default. You lead teams responsible for the physical safety of communities and enterprises. Your people train relentlessly. They adhere to strict protocols because ambiguity creates risk.

Public safety leaders deserve the same level of accountability from the vendors asking for their budget.

Vaporware

Long before ChatGPT, security vendors were selling the roadmap as if it were the current product. We have all seen the trade show demos. The "seamless integration" actually required six months of custom coding. The autonomous feature needed a human operator.

This industry has a history of promising a "single pane of glass" to unify operations. You sign the contract. You discover the glass is actually five different windows.

The problem with sloppy communication is the friction it creates. You are trying to solve complex operational problems. You need clear technical facts to make those decisions.

But you often receive buzzwords instead, vague promises about "synergy" that obscure what the software actually does. This wastes your time. It delays deployment. In the worst cases, it leads to purchasing tools that fail during a critical incident.

The new standard

Quality marketing in public safety should feel like a briefing. It should be accurate and concise. If it feels like a website, one-pager, or sales rep is opening up their trench coat to show you all of the things they do on each side, that’s the old way.

There is immense power in a vendor saying they handle one thing perfectly and use a partner for the rest. It allows you to build a security stack that actually functions.

GenAI will increase the noise. That makes your ability to filter through it even more critical. Look for the partners who speak plainly. Value the ones who show you the interface instead of a concept video.

There are companies doing this well…they own the market. It feels like Nike, heroes the user, and delivers products that honor the brand promise. But like I said, they own the market in most cases. Much of the other 80% in this market is one shift in marketing quality away from competing with these giants — for whatever reason, the slop continues.

My call-to-action? Let’s demand better, a new standard.