Advertising for AI sparks outrage

AI startup: Attention through shock

An advertising campaign by the AI ​​startup Artisan is currently causing a stir and outrage in San Francisco. With provocative slogans like “Stop hiring humans” and “The era of AI employees is here,” the company promotes its AI-based solutions on billboards across the city. The campaign specifically plays on fears of job losses due to artificial intelligence and has sparked a heated debate in the tech metropolis about whether something like this is allowed or should be done.

Artisan develops customer service and sales software that it markets as “AI workers” or “Artisans.” The posters present these virtual workers as a superior alternative to human employees. Other provocative messages include: “Artisans don't complain about work-life balance” and “Artisans' Zoom cameras will never 'not work' today.”

As Ars Technica reports, the campaign has already sparked strong reactions on social media. On Reddit, users likened the situation in San Francisco to a “cyberpunk dystopia” in which self-driving cars drove through a neighborhood full of roofless tents while apartments cost $4,000 a month.

CEO defends controversial campaign

Artisan CEO Jaspar Carmichael-Jack defended the controversial campaign in an interview with SFGate.

They are dystopian in a way, but so is AI. The art of how the world works is changing.

He acknowledged that the campaign was deliberately designed to be provocative to attract attention: “We wanted something that would attract attention – you don't attract attention with boring messages.”

Artisan's flagship product is an AI “sales agent” called Ava that supposedly automates the work of finding and pitching potential customers. The company claims Ava works “without human input” and costs 96 percent less than a human employee in the same position. However, you can and should take this information with some caution.

What do you think about this provocative advertising campaign? Do you think AI will actually replace so many jobs in the future? Or is this “just” a simple provocation that has little to do with reality? Let us know your opinions in the comments!

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