An artificial intelligence company opened a new front in the world-changing industry's advance, and people were not happy.
In typical Silicon Valley fashion — that is to say, with all the dexterity of a bull in a china shop — Artisan unleashed a marketing campaign to "Stop Hiring Humans," as Natalie Fear of Creative Bloq reported
The San Francisco-based startup's onslaught included billboards that urged "Hire Artisans, not humans" and declared "Artisans won't complain about work-life balance," SFGate.com detailed Dec. 9. It noted the company touts its "no human input" AI sales agent service, which it says is 96% cheaper than human labor. CEO Jaspar Carmichael-Jack also acknowledged the intent to catch eyes and gain clients when contacted by SFGate.com.
"This is the worst kind of dystopian nightmare ever to exist in our reality and it's quite shocking to see," artist and photographer Sami Sadek wrote on X.
Carmichael-Jack texted SFGate.com: "They are somewhat dystopian, but so is AI. The way the world works is changing."
AI and the companies that use it are very clearly taking people's jobs without recourse or remuneration. SFGate.com called the campaign "bleak" and "mean-spirited," while Fear in a follow-up story said it was "egregiously provocative" and marked "peak dystopia."
Of course, Carmichael-Jack and Co. care not one iota since it boosted Artisan's profile and earned millions of dollars.
The cost has not yet come home to roost, but Carmichael-Jack said there were thousands of death threats.
"This could be straight out of a Black Mirror episode," contract material artist Matthias Schmidt wrote on Bluesky.
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On X, Sadek continued: "This is not the Sci-Fi world that we were promised in all the movies, games & anime we absorbed in our youth, this is nothing more than some rich prick's wet dream.
"Take everything, give nothing back and leave everyone miserable.
"It's disgusting."
And the ethical implications go beyond worker exploitation and environmental harm.
"'Learn to code,' they said...then you got replaced by AI," another social media user said. "It's anyone's guess what jobs won't be replaced by AI/Robotics."
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