The creator economy's hottest debate: Can influencers post AI ads without alienating their fans?

Getty Images; BI Influencers are taking heat for promoting AI brands.

They're weighing big paychecks from AI companies against potential anger from their fans.

Creators, managers, and AI companies are using different strategies to navigate this tricky market.

Influencers are being pelted with virtual tomatoes for promoting AI companies — and it's prompting strategy shifts and high-stress decisions in the creator economy.

At the height of summer, OpenAI brought a group of influencers to a luxury resort in upstate New York to dine on farm-to-table cuisine, learn how honey is made, and post about it online.

The "Summer Camp" experience, which OpenAI said was tied to the launch of its ChatGPT Work product, quickly drew hate in comments sections.

"Looks like a nice spot for a data center," one user commented on an influencer's post showcasing the pastoral setting.

Others chimed in, calling it "dystopian" and "morally bankrupt." The marketing mishap served as a lesson for creators, managers, and brands alike.

Promoting artificial intelligence has become risky for creators as public sentiment around the tech has curdled.

AI companies are using a mix of high pay rates and careful messaging to keep creators signing deals in a fraught environment.

The most straightforward idea AI companies are trying to convey: AI is helpful, not evil .

"It's really important for AI companies to share the right, tailored message to the audiences," said Alisher Shariyazdanov, an executive at generative video startup Higgsfield AI .

Higgsfield's hedge against anti-AI haters is to compile a list of topics that are "likely to trigger hatred rather than some positive emotions" based on sentiment analysis of creators' comment sections, Shariyazdanov said.

The company then advises creators to avoid those topics, and if backlash does ensue, it works with them to understand what triggered it and what next steps they should take.