Being a content creator in the age of AI means navigating a minefield of reputational risks.
Using or simply talking about AI in the wrong way can spark internet backlash, never mind doing a promotional post for an AI company.
Artificial intelligence is highly polarizing, and the backlash against the tech has been ramping up recently. Many factors have contributed to the negative vibes, from unpopular data centers to fears about job displacement and AI-induced price hikes on tech products like video game consoles.
In the particular case of video platforms, AI slop has flooded social feeds with low-quality videos and misinformation, irking some viewers.
In this environment, creators like Hank Green and Cliff Tan have recently faced criticism from their audiences for their associations with AI. There are three main ways creators have been getting raked over the coals about AI in recent weeks.
Here they are:
1. Promoting an AI company
The easiest way for a creator to draw criticism around AI is to post promotional content on behalf of an LLM company or AI firm.
Influencers who posted about attending a luxury OpenAI-hosted “Summer Camp” in early August received a wave of criticism from fans in their comments sections, who variously called it “dystopian,” “gross,” and “morally bankrupt.”
An OpenAI spokesperson told Business Insider that the retreat was an education-focused event, and that “creators are an important part of our community and how people get information and learn about our products.”
This week, interior design creator Cliff Tan apologized to fans after posting promotional content for the Chinese AI platform, Dreamina, acknowledging the post had disappointed many of his viewers.
Large AI companies have a lot of money to spend on influencer marketing, but creators who want to get that bag should be prepared for potential backlash.
“There’s a PR issue with AI as it relates to taking people’s jobs and environmental concerns around data centers,” Eric Bogard, CEO of the talent firm UnderCurrent Management, previously told Business Insider. “Creators are hesitant to promote AI companies as a result.”
2. Using AI in the wrong way
At this stage, pretty much every influencer is using AI tools in some manner.
If you use Adobe Photoshop or TikTok’s CapCut, or tweak an image or video with an editing tool, there’s a good chance that AI has played a part in your final output.
Audiences generally understand that.
Creators run into trouble when it becomes evident that AI was heavily involved in the making of a finished product.
YouTuber Hank Green learned that lesson when he disclosed he’d used AI as a research tool for one of his shows, and drew an immediate negative reaction from his fans.
“I have been relying too heavily on AI as a research aid,” Green said. “It can be very useful for this task, giving me access to a lot of papers I didn’t know existed really fast, but I think that has been to the detriment of my work because it has not given me the freedom to find all of my own ways into and around a topic.”
The science and educational content creator has since laid out a new policy regarding the use of AI, saying he won’t allow any portion of a script to be written, edited, or outlined by an LLM; that a video’s thesis must originate with a human; and that no image or music in a video will be AI-generated.
3. Getting flagged for using AI, even if they tried to avoid it
Even if a creator goes out of their way to avoid using AI, they may still get nailed for it.
As social apps like TikTok and Instagram try to detect and label more artificial content in their feeds, some influencers are finding their content getting mislabeled as AI-generated.
Creators like Gregory Littley and Lindsey Lee Lugrin found that social posts promoting work they did offline, such as taking physical Polaroid photos or painting by hand, were flagged as AI.
“I cringe when I see that label,” Littley said. “I cringe even more when I know it’s not true.”
Read more about how influencers are dealing with AI mislabeling
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