The AI Billboards Are Killing SF
The author argues that the proliferation of cryptic, AI-focused advertisements in San Francisco is alienating residents and damaging the city's community identity. These ads are described as exclusionary signals that prioritize a niche tech elite over the general public.
Why it matters
It reflects growing social tensions between the tech industry and local communities in major urban hubs.
At some point last year, I stopped reading half the advertisements I saw around me in San Francisco. They made me feel crazy. And confused. If I thought too much about them, they made me angry. And I don’t have time to feel anger; I gotta hustle to pay my mortgage and raise my kids and try to cling to some semblance of joy . In most cities, outdoor advertising tries to sell you something you might need: online classes, a personal injury attorney, God. In San Francisco, however, the words are nonsense. “Your agents need agents!” “Own your inference.” “Book your hotel on the moon with gru.space !” The SF Standard and The New York Times have run quizzes trying to decipher these ads. Whatever they mean, they are not selling something that I, or my neighbors, can buy.
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