OpenAI recently hosted its first luxury brand trip for influencers at a retreat in upstate New York called “Summer Club.” The event featured farm-to-table meals, wellness activities such as beekeeping, and workshops designed to help creators better understand and use OpenAI’s products, including the newly released ChatGPT Work for drafting documents and presentations. The company views creators as an important part of its broader marketing strategy to educate users on practical applications of AI tools.

However, the trip has sparked significant online backlash. Many social media users criticized the influencers for appearing to promote a brand associated with controversial aspects of AI technology. Comments pointed to the environmental impacts of AI data centers, especially as OpenAI is preparing a $500 billion deal to build a new data center in Ohio. Some critics also highlighted OpenAI’s $200 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense as a factor fueling negative reactions to the event.

OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri emphasized that the trip was educational in nature and encouraged healthy debate about AI’s role in society. He noted that the company values creators who participate in these discussions and share their experiences with their audiences. OpenAI’s outreach to influencers reflects the company’s recent hiring of Charles Porch, former Instagram VP, as its global creative partnerships lead, demonstrating a strategic effort to engage creative communities and better serve AI users.

This type of influencer engagement is not unique to OpenAI; similar efforts have been made by other AI companies like Anthropic and Microsoft. Yet, OpenAI’s branded luxury experience has generated more scrutiny than past events, revealing tensions around the broader societal implications of AI. An influencer who attended the trip acknowledged the controversy online, admitting she hadn’t anticipated the strong anti-AI sentiment surrounding the topic. Meanwhile, some members of the public see lavish trips during times of economic and environmental concern as tone-deaf, fueling ongoing debates about responsible AI development and communication.