An AI Company Is Making Waves in San Francisco With a Striking Message: ‘Stop Hiring Humans’

San Francisco’s streets have recently been covered with billboards featuring a startling message. In them, employers are urged to stop hiring humans because “the era of AI employees is here.” But what exactly happened?

“Stop hiring humans.” According to ArsTechnica, AI startup Artisan has launched a marketing campaign for its products. The company offers AI assistants tailored for various business niches and referred to as “Artisans.” The campaign features the image of a woman’s face alongside provocative messages, such as:

• “Stop hiring humans”
• “Artisans won’t complain about work-life balance”
• “Artisan’s Zoom cameras will never ‘no be working’ today”
• “Hire Artisans, not humans”
• “The era of AI employees is here”

What do Artisans do? Artisan specializes in developing software to assist with customer service and sales efforts. Among its products is an AI-created sales agent named Ava, which aims to automate the process of identifying and contacting potential customers.

Negative reactions on social media. A Bluesky user named SpacePrez posted an image of one of the billboards with a single exclamatory comment: “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH.” Similar sentiments have emerged on Reddit, where users express their disapproval of the messages. Some media outlets, such as Creative Bloq, have even labeled the idea a “dystopian nightmare.”

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Craving controversy. Artisan CEO Jaspar Carmichael-Jack acknowledged the controversial nature of the campaign in an interview with SFGate. He said, “[The ads] are somewhat dystopian, but so is AI,” adding that “the way the world works is changing.” He also pointed out, “We wanted something that would draw eyes–you don’t draw eyes with boring messaging.”

AI and the future of work. The company’s provocative messages have quickly garnered backlash, mirroring a broader fear that has emerged since generative AI began to demonstrate its potential. Many jobs may be impacted in the coming years as AI systems become capable of handling both routine tasks and even creative work. While the full impact of AI in the workplace may take years to unfold, it seems inevitable that substantial changes are on the horizon.

Image | Jonas Gerlach

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