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Int'l Business Times
24-06-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
'Stop Hiring Humans:' AI Ad Sparks Meltdown In Midtown Manhattan
Times Square recently turned into ground zero for a fiery debate over AI and the future of work, after a striking billboard reading "Stop Hiring Humans" appeared high above the city's bustling streets. The ad, unveiled by San Francisco-based startup Artisan AI, was part of a campaign to promote their voice-powered virtual employee Ava, and it has since gone viral online, drawing both applause and outrage in equal measure. The controversial campaign, according to Artisan's official blog, was a deliberate attempt to break away from what the company called "vanilla" messaging in the AI space. Earlier slogans like "Upskill with AI" reportedly failed to grab attention, prompting the team to go bold. CEO Jaspar Carmichael-Jack admitted the shock factor was intentional, stating that the aim was to start a conversation—not end one. "If we made the billboards as safe as everyone else's, nobody would care," he noted in the blog post. The reaction on the streets and online has been intense. SFGate reported the campaign featured follow-up slogans like "Artisans won't ask for paid time off" and "Artisan's Zoom cameras will never 'not be working' today," poking fun at human work habits. The tone has been described as "dystopian," but Artisan insists the purpose was never to threaten human workers. Instead, the company claims the goal is to eliminate the kind of repetitive tasks people don't enjoy, making human work more meaningful. Despite spending less than $50,000 on the billboard, Artisan's campaign has reportedly earned the company hundreds of millions of impressions across platforms like TikTok and Reddit. The New York Post reported that the stunt has even translated into business success, with Artisan claiming to have generated over $2 million in new annual revenue since the ad went live. Yet, the backlash hasn't been quiet either—critics have called the ad tone-deaf amid rising concerns over job losses due to automation. One user on Reddit summed up the mood bluntly: "Vandalism has never felt so justifiable." Artisan's messaging has been careful to underline that the startup is still hiring humans. In fact, they've highlighted ongoing job openings for software engineers and designers, even as Ava continues to evolve. As per Forbes, the company recently raised $25 million to expand its AI workforce model, aiming to integrate AI into day-to-day operations without eliminating human oversight. While reactions remain sharply divided, one thing is clear: Artisan AI has successfully inserted itself into the global conversation about where artificial intelligence is headed. Whether the world is ready for Ava or not, the message has landed—and people are paying attention.
New York Post
21-06-2025
- Business
- New York Post
‘Stop Hiring Humans' Viral AI billboard campaign sparks outrage in NYC
If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere — as long as you're not human. Dystopian billboards have popped up across Manhattan urging businesses to 'stop hiring human,' and some people are vowing to fight the rise of the machines. 'Rip them down' raged one observer on a Reddit post showing one of the billboards in Times Square. 'Vandalizing has never felt so right' wrote another. 5 An AI takeover? A massive Times Square billboard from Artisan AI urges businesses to 'Stop Hiring Humans' — part of a viral stunt that's turning Manhattan into a battleground over the future of work. On TikTok, a viral clip asked, 'Would you work with an AI coworker? Or better yet — would you trust one?' And on Instagram, one user wrote: 'This ad I saw in New York hit me like a truck … Entire industries are being reshaped. We can resist it, fear it… or face it head-on.' The resistance can breathe easy — the posters are part of a viral stunt from Artisan AI, a San Francisco startup that sells virtual 'employees' such as Ava, an AI-powered sales rep. 5 Meet Ava — your new AI sales rep. Artisan wants companies to interview its digital workers like this one, who's currently smiling from bus stops across Midtown. J.C. Rice The campaign launched in California last year and hit the Big Apple last month according to co-founder and CEO Jaspar Carmichael-Jack who told The Post the company spent less than $50,000 on placements across Manhattan, including in Times Square and along the High Line. But the real goal wasn't visibility — it was virality. 'The biggest play with the campaign is not actually the people who see it from the street,' Carmichael-Jack said. 'It's when people take pictures and repost it and share it. That's when we go viral.' 5 Artisan AI co-founders Sam Stallings, left, and Jaspar Carmichael-Jack faced a wave of backlash after the campaign launched — including thousands of death threats. The company estimates the NYC rollout has generated hundreds of millions of online impressions, outperforming its earlier campaigns in San Francisco and London. Artisan's original ads with softer slogans like 'Be more productive' and 'Upskill with AI' flopped, Carmichael-Jack said. But when the company leaned into bolder lines like 'Stop hiring humans,' 'Artisans won't complain about work-life balance' and 'Artisans won't come into work hungover,' the internet lit up. 5 A California billboard featured a deliberate typo — 'Stop Hirring Humans.' The viral moment was part of a broader campaign that has helped Artisan generate $5 million in revenue. 'It's designed to start conversation and stir public interest,' he said. 'When we say something controversial, everyone engages.' The campaign has caught the attention of labor advocates and marketing experts — some critical, others intrigued. 'Campaigns like this force us to confront our attitudes towards human workers,' said Ifeoma Ajunwa, a law professor at Emory University and author of 'The Quantified Worker.' 5 Artisan's virtual worker Ava may be the face of the campaign — but the company is still hiring real people, with more than two dozen open jobs posted online. Despite the message, Artisan is actively hiring humans — for now. More than two dozen job postings appear on the company's LinkedIn. 'We believe in hiring humans,' he said. 'Just hiring [them] for work that humans actually want to do.'
TechCrunch
02-06-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
‘Stop hiring humans' startup Artisan hires humans
Artisan AI seemingly has one goal: go viral, no matter the backlash. The AI sales agent startup has been making waves for its stunty marketing strategy. So far it's jokingly replaced the CEO with AI and purchased a self-proclaimed cringey billboard — in the middle of San Francisco — announcing a $25 million fundraise. It also launched a campaign so divisive, the company has received backlash escalating into online death threats.
