Promotion of AI tools sparks online backlash, canadian creator faces criticism

A Canadian social media creator, Emma Orhun, recently faced intense online backlash after promoting the AI assistant Claude. Orhun described the experience as frightening, with harsh comments flooding in while she was alone in her apartment. She later discussed the incident on her podcast, 'The Internet Is Dead,' but faced another wave of criticism, including some fans calling for her to unfollow them. Orhun noted that such confrontational interactions rarely lead to mutual understanding. This is not an isolated case; in late July, OpenAI invited several social media creators to a workshop in upstate New York, where they shared photos of branded honey jars, sparking anger among fans who called the event 'anti-utopian' and 'morally bankrupt.' Orhun later retracted her earlier comments about gender bias in AI promotion, acknowledging that male creators also face similar criticism. She fears that if this trend continues, AI could become a topic people avoid discussing openly.