OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company that owns ChatGPT, just hosted its first luxury retreat for influencers — but onlookers have criticized it for being tone deaf and akin to an episode of the dystopian drama series Black Mirror.
Over the weekend, the tech company transported a group of content creators to the high-end countryside resort Wildflower Farms by Auberge Collection in upstate New York for an itinerary of eco-friendly activities including farm-to-table dinners, beekeeping and outdoor excursions, complete with networking sessions and workshops on programming with ChatGPT.
Influencers shared aesthetic posts of their gifted goodie bags — which included pyjamas monogrammed with their initials and a tote bag embroidered with ChatGPT’s geometric logo — as well as photos of a decadent candlelit dinner table set in the woods, with a large decorative ChatGPT orb as the backdrop.
Influencer brand trips often face backlash online, but this particular venture has riled commenters who argue that the eco-friendly activities were a little too on-the-nose considering the sociological and environmental impact of the AI data centers that power OpenAI’s software.
“The trip should’ve been to a data centre. Better yet, a home by a data centre, with dirty water and noise pollution,” said one person, as another likened the trip to an oil company “taking a bunch of influencers scuba diving.”
open image in gallery“Sick brand trip. Did they promise you access to the water supplies when we lose it?” one person commented underneath a post of an influencer who attended the trip.
“The decision to frame the retreat as eco-friendly/cottage-y was a DELIBERATE CHOICE,” said another.
One person added: “Out of ALL trips they could do this is really really weird. It just makes it so much weirder. Like an oil and gas company taking people to a coral reef scuba diving trip.”
“Wait. I didn’t know they got monogrammed pajamas!! Now I’m PRO AI!!!” joked another.
“Do you think AI planned the whole thing too?” said one comment.
open image in galleryGrace McCarrick, a content creator with more than 93,000 Instagram followers who attended the trip, shared a review of the experience on Instagram, stating that she was surrounded by people “who like to learn and think” and that the workshops really “democratized knowledge.” She added she was honored to be on the company’s first-ever brand trip.
“‘Democratizing knowledge’ ???? Are you kidding me?? Let me introduce you to the public library. Geeeeeez,” one commenter responded to her video.
McCarrick responded to a negative comment left under one of her videos accusing her of “selling her morals.”
She said: “My morals are not compromised. I am supremely excited about AI and the opportunities it offers to our species. Beyond that, any time there’s going to be some vast sweeping change to the way we live, if I have an opportunity to be in the room and hear from the people who are at the helm of that change, I’m going to do that.”
open image in galleryMegan Lieu, another content creator who posts as @meglovesdata to her 227,000 Instagram followers, spoke gushingly about the lavish trip and urged her followers to “stop sleeping on LinkedIn” to get such opportunities.
Other attendees who posted about the trip included business creator Justyn Berkovits, Sreya Halder, a creator whose content focuses on software and fashion and Linda Vivah, an AI engineer who posts about tech.
AI companies have been the subject of controversy for their environmental impact and the impacts of AI advancements on the workforce.
open image in galleryAI companies rely on power-hungry data centers packed with servers that generate enormous amounts of heat, with many facilities using vast quantities of water to keep them cool.
Lucy Atkinson, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin who studies the public perception of the environmental impact of AI, previously told The Independent that ChatGPT uses 10 times more energy than a Google search and that 15 queries consume the same energy as watching an hour of video content.
“The water use is the biggest environmental impact, along with the energy required to make them run. Then other issues affect people who live near them, such as noise pollution, increased traffic and other land use changes,” Atkinson said.
OpenAI told The Independent in a statement: “Creators are an important part of our community and how people get information and learn about our products today.”
The company continued: “We welcome healthy debate as AI becomes more prevalent, and we value creators who choose to engage with us, attend our events, ask tough questions, and learn alongside everyone else. We’ll continue to value them, just as we do traditional media and other marketing partners.”