OpenAI responds after ChatGPT's $2,000-a-night influencer trip backfires in a major way

OpenAI's first-ever influencer brand trip didn't quite have the impact that those involved might have expected, with the AI juggernaut now responding to the backlash with a new statement.

While AI undoubtedly remains the company's primary focus – with an impressive new model shown off just this week – ChatGPT creator OpenAI has begun to branch out beyond the technology sector in what some perceive to be an attempt to solidify a 'brand'.

Not only is the company building its own hardware project, although a major lawsuit from Apple looks to threaten that, but it has also launched its own merch lines, including a basketball that supposedly 'sends a message' about the industry as a whole.

Influencer marketing also appears to be a key tool for OpenAI in creating a brand beyond the tech, although its first attempts to mirror the methods of fashion and beauty companies hasn't gone down as well as they hoped.

OpenAI's brand trip receives significant backlash

As reported by The Verge, OpenAI took a number of influencers – primarily from the business and career-focused areas of social media – to an all-expenses-paid retreat just outside of New York, with rooms seemingly starting at $2,000-per-night.

Marketed as a 'Summer Club', the event was the first of its kind not just for OpenAI but for the AI industry as a whole, with attendees sporting branded merch and taking part in a loosely assembled assortment of activities.

What transpired, however, was furore from wider social media across platforms like TikTok and X, with videos decrying the brand trip garnering significantly greater engagement than the content shared by attending influencers.

"People will sell their f***ing souls for a pretty hotel room," wrote one commenter on a video shared by Grace McCarrick, with another 'longtime follower' declaring that her attendance at the event is "so off base though and fundamentally changes how I view your credibility. Bummed and unfollowing."

People certainly didn't miss the irony of an OpenAI brand trip taking place in the middle of a forest too, with countless reports indicating the significantly negative impact that AI as a whole is having on the environment — and the worst is yet to come.

It seems like some of the influencers were taken aback and surprised by the anger exhibited by people in response to the trip too, with McCarrick sharing on LinkedIn that she "genuinely had no idea that people were this anti-AI. This steeped in misinformation about it. This crazed about the idea of it ruining the planet."

How has OpenAI responded?

OpenAI has directly addressed the backlash following its brand trip over the weekend, outlining in a statement to The Verge:

"Creators are an important part of our community and how people get information and learn about our products today. We welcome healthy debate as AI becomes more prevalent, and we value creators who choose to engage with us, attend our events, ask tough questions, and learn alongside everyone else.

"We’ll continue to value them, just as we do traditional media and other marketing partners," OpenAI spokesperson Edie Campbell-Urban continued.

It looks like the company doesn't necessarily see this backlash as a dealbreaker when it comes to its marketing efforts – as it will have likely experienced a similar reaction to efforts beyond influencers – so don't be surprised if we see more trips of a similar vein in the future.

If anything, however, it will impact how the influencers themselves treat the brand trips, with many perhaps more reticent over what they share or even reluctant to take part altogether, even if they themselves don't have a negative perception of AI or ChatGPT.