Influencers draw backlash for attending OpenAI’s first luxury trip
Influencers draw backlash for attending OpenAI’s first luxury trip
OpenAI 首次举办奢华品牌之旅，网红受邀引发舆论反弹
OpenAI’s first-ever influencer brand trip is sparking online backlash as tensions over the use of AI continue. Over the weekend, OpenAI took what appears to be a handful of influencers to a luxury retreat in upstate New York for what was called “Summer Club.” There, the creators were treated to farm-to-table dinners, wellness activities like beekeeping, and classes on how to better use OpenAI products. One creator posted about making a website, while another took a photo of a brochure that said “painting workshop” on it. 随着围绕人工智能（AI）使用的紧张局势持续升温，OpenAI 首次举办的网红品牌之旅引发了网络舆论的反弹。上周末，OpenAI 邀请了少数几位网红前往纽约州北部的一处豪华度假胜地，参加名为“夏季俱乐部”（Summer Club）的活动。在那里，创作者们享受了“从农场到餐桌”的晚餐、养蜂等康养活动，以及如何更好地使用 OpenAI 产品的课程。一位创作者发布了关于制作网站的内容，另一位则拍摄了一张写有“绘画工作坊”字样的宣传册照片。
The videos were aesthetic and lighthearted, but many of the comments were not. One influencer, for example, who posted about going on the trip on her TikTok and Instagram had comments from people insinuating she sold her soul “for a nice hotel room,” or asking if she could do a video reconciling her trip with AI data centers’ environmental impact. Another influencer who posted about the trip was asked if she was going to do a get-ready-with-me (the popular video format where influencers record their process of getting ready) about touring a data center. When TechCrunch reached out to a third influencer about her time on the trip, she appeared to have deleted the video she made about her time there, although she retained others that don’t explicitly reference that they were part of the OpenAI brand trip. 这些视频画面精美且轻松愉快，但评论区却并非如此。例如，一位在 TikTok 和 Instagram 上发布此次行程的网红，其评论区充斥着指责她“为了一个高档酒店房间”出卖灵魂的言论，还有人质问她是否能拍个视频，解释一下她的这次旅行与 AI 数据中心对环境影响之间的矛盾。另一位发布相关内容的网红则被网友调侃，问她是否会拍摄一段关于“参观数据中心”的“准备过程”（Get-ready-with-me，一种网红记录自己准备过程的流行视频格式）。当 TechCrunch 联系第三位网红询问其行程时，她似乎已经删除了关于此次活动的视频，尽管她保留了其他未明确提及 OpenAI 品牌之旅的视频。
When reached for comment, OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said that OpenAI works with a range of creators as part of a broader marketing effort to help people understand more practical ways to use ChatGPT. One purpose of the trip was to teach creators how to use the newly released ChatGPT Work, which can help users with tasks like drafting documents and presentations. Pusateri said the event was education-led and sought to give creators hands-on experience with the AI tools so that they could then show their followers how to use them. 在回应置评请求时，OpenAI 发言人 Drew Pusateri 表示，OpenAI 与各类创作者合作是其更广泛营销工作的一部分，旨在帮助人们了解使用 ChatGPT 的更实用方法。此次旅行的目的之一是教创作者如何使用新发布的 ChatGPT Work，该功能可以帮助用户完成起草文档和演示文稿等任务。Pusateri 表示，此次活动以教育为主导，旨在让创作者亲身体验这些 AI 工具，以便他们随后能向粉丝展示如何使用。
“Creators are an important part of our community and how people get information and learn about our products today,” Pusateri said. “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.” “创作者是我们社区的重要组成部分，也是当今人们获取信息和了解我们产品的重要渠道，”Pusateri 说道。“随着 AI 变得越来越普及，我们欢迎健康的辩论。我们重视那些选择与我们互动、参加我们的活动、提出尖锐问题并与大家共同学习的创作者。我们将一如既往地重视他们，就像我们对待传统媒体和其他营销合作伙伴一样。”
It’s not surprising that OpenAI is enlisting influencers by offering luxury brand trips. In February, Vanity Fair reported that the company hired “celebrity whisperer” Charles Porch as its first VP of global creative partnerships. Porch was coming from Instagram, where he was VP of global partnerships. In announcing the hire, Porch said that his job was going to be talking to creative communities “to figure out how we build the best products to serve them,” and he planned to do a “listening tour” to learn more about the relationship people have with AI tools. OpenAI 通过提供豪华品牌之旅来招募网红并不令人意外。今年 2 月，《名利场》（Vanity Fair）报道称，该公司聘请了“名人耳语者” Charles Porch 担任其首位全球创意合作伙伴副总裁。Porch 此前在 Instagram 担任全球合作伙伴副总裁。在宣布这一任命时，Porch 表示他的工作是与创意社区对话，“以找出我们如何构建最好的产品来服务他们”，并计划进行一次“倾听之旅”，以深入了解人们与 AI 工具之间的关系。
It’s important to note that OpenAI is not the only AI lab that has worked with influencers. Anthropic reportedly hosted an influencer brand dinner for Claude, and back in February, Microsoft Copilot hosted an influencer brand trip to the Super Bowl, the tech newsletter Sarah and Kate reported. None of those other AI trips seem to have struck as big of a nerve as this OpenAI brand trip. 值得注意的是，OpenAI 并非唯一一家与网红合作的 AI 实验室。据科技通讯 Sarah and Kate 报道，Anthropic 据称曾为 Claude 举办过网红品牌晚宴，而微软 Copilot 早在 2 月份就曾举办过一次前往超级碗的网红品牌之旅。然而，其他这些 AI 活动似乎都没有像这次 OpenAI 的品牌之旅那样触动公众的神经。
One influencer took to LinkedIn to write that she thought people “would be interested in the behind-the-scenes tips and tricks” of using OpenAI technology, but didn’t realize how many people were anti-AI. “I didn’t for one second consider it would be controversial,” she wrote. 一位网红在 LinkedIn 上写道，她原以为人们“会对使用 OpenAI 技术的幕后技巧感兴趣”，但没想到有这么多人反感 AI。“我一秒钟都没想过这会引起争议，”她写道。
TechCrunch spoke to a person who left a negative comment on a video posted by an influencer attending the OpenAI Summer Camp. The commenter pointed out that many Americans have a negative view of AI and that there needs to be a conversation about how to use the technology more responsibly. “These posh influencers’ events are, again, giving people ammunition to have negative opinions,” she told TechCrunch. “The world is on fire. It’s not a great time to brag about your $5,000-a-night suite.” TechCrunch 联系了一位在参加 OpenAI “夏季训练营”的网红视频下发表负面评论的用户。该评论者指出，许多美国人对 AI 持负面看法，社会需要就如何更负责任地使用该技术展开对话。“这些奢华的网红活动再次给了人们发表负面意见的口实，”她告诉 TechCrunch。“世界正处于水深火热之中，现在并不是炫耀你每晚 5000 美元套房的好时机。”
There is also more to the timing of the trip that struck people. OpenAI is set to strike a $500 billion deal to build a data center in Ohio, during a time when the socio-ecological impact of AI data centers has taken center stage. The irony was not lost on some commenters that OpenAI held a brand retreat in a luxury resort nestled in nature. Other commenters also noted OpenAI’s $200 million contract with the Department of Defense as a reason the brand trip evoked ire. 此次行程的时间节点也让人们感到不满。OpenAI 即将达成一项 5000 亿美元的协议，在俄亥俄州建设数据中心，而此时正是 AI 数据中心对社会生态影响成为焦点的时候。一些评论者指出，OpenAI 在坐落于大自然的豪华度假村举办品牌静修活动，这种讽刺意味显而易见。其他评论者还提到，OpenAI 与美国国防部签订的 2 亿美元合同也是引发此次品牌之旅愤怒的原因之一。