The "Summer Club" brand trip held by OpenAI drew criticism over AI energy use, jobs and targeting women
OpenAI held its first influencer brand trip, "Summer Club", at the Wildflower Farms resort. Critics attacked the energy consumption of AI, the threat of job losses and the predominance of young women among those invited. Reaction videos received over 500 thousand views.
Over the weekend, OpenAI held its first so-called brand trip for influencers, called "Summer Club", at the Wildflower Farms resort near New York, where rooms cost over 2000 dollars per night. The invited content creators, mostly focused on careers and business, shared photos and videos featuring monogrammed merchandise and a vaguely described agenda. Among them was Grace McCarrick (145 000 followers on TikTok), who vlogged from her suite while running a bath, and Nat Lucy (57 000 followers), who filmed a deer outside her cabin.
The influencer videos themselves received only limited viewership, but the comments beneath them and subsequent reaction videos sparked widespread criticism — just two reaction videos reached over 500 000 views combined. Commenters criticized the energy consumption of AI data centers and their construction across the USA, as well as the risk of job losses resulting from AI deployment in companies. Some audience members also noticed that young women made up the majority of those invited and speculated about whether OpenAI was deliberately using female influencers for so-called "reputation laundering" of an industry facing criticism. According to Pew data cited by the source, women view AI more negatively than men and are twice as likely to say that AI will have a negative personal impact on them, although the gender gap in AI usage has almost disappeared.
McCarrick responded to the criticism on LinkedIn, writing that she had not realized how strongly the public felt against AI, and described the negative response as a manifestation of what she called "AI psychosis" spreading online — by this term, however, she meant anger toward AI, rather than its usual meaning associated with delusions induced by AI use. OpenAI spokesperson Edie Campbell-Urban said that working with content creators is part of the communication strategy at the company and that the event was intended to be educational; she said the company welcomes healthy debate about AI and appreciates creators who ask uncomfortable questions. According to the source, surprisingly little content from the event showcased the capabilities of ChatGPT — instead, aspirational lifestyle content focused on gifts and the resort setting predominated.
Why it matters
The case shows that marketing practices common among fashion or cosmetics brands encounter a different context at AI companies — criticism of energy consumption and concerns about job losses managed to surpass the reach of the campaign itself. For influencers, this means a risk of reputational damage when working with AI companies; for companies such as OpenAI, it shows that influencer marketing in this sector can easily escalate into a media scandal.
Two audiences, two different impacts
What this means
For individuals
Influencers and content creators considering a paid partnership with an AI company risk intense public criticism whose reach may significantly exceed the viewership of their own posts.
For a business
Companies using influencer marketing in the AI sector risk a rapid reputational crisis if the campaign comes across as frivolous about energy consumption and job losses — critical responses here reached hundreds of thousands of views practically for free.
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Event sources
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