This creator got 'micro-canceled' for promoting Claude. She says AI use is becoming a social taboo.
Social media influencers are facing significant backlash and 'micro-cancellation' for accepting paid partnerships with AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. Creators report that their audiences increasingly view AI promotion as a social taboo, leading to harassment and loss of followers.
Why it matters
This trend highlights a growing cultural divide and public skepticism toward AI integration, which could impact the marketing strategies of major tech firms.
Anthropic and OpenAI have partnered with influencers for paid promotions. Their comments sections are filling with a chorus of boos. Bloomberg/Getty Images Emma Orhun was caught in a hailstorm of negative comments after partnering with Anthropic. "I was nervous that everything that they said was right," she told BI. Orhun said she's worried that ongoing backlash will make people less candid about AI use. Emma Orhun was alone in her apartment when a flood of harsh comments rolled in. "The first hour was the scariest," she told Business Insider. "People are saying mean things, and then, I have no one to turn to and be like, 'Are they right? Are they not? Am I crazy?'" Orhun, an Ottawa-based social media influencer and former Shopify design technologist, said she was "micro-canceled" for posting a promotion for Anthropic .
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