A satirical ad campaign from some as-yet-unidentified pranksters/performance artists has spent real money on multiple billboards in San Francisco and New York that satirize some of the “stop hiring humans” messaging of actual AI startups.
Replacement.AI appeared on the internet, and on billboards, in the last couple of weeks, with a website, a LinkedIn profile, a YouTube channel, and an Xitter account, the latter of which has been posting troll-y messages and retweets since September 25.
One example: “AI can now tell people how to build bioweapons.  However, we have made our users pinky promise that they won’t use our AI model for nefarious purposes.  Let’s hope they keep their promise!”
Two billboards went up in SF’s Castro neighborhood sometime last week or the week before, as first reported by KRON4, one of which is advertising Replacement.AI’s fake product, amusingly named HUMBERT — after the notorious pedophile narrator of Lolita. The text of the billboard, which shows a childlike drawing of a child in bed, with some menacing robot arms reaching out from under the bed, says, “AI does your daughter’s homework. Reads her bedtime stories. Romances her. Deepfakes her. Don’t worry. It’s totally legal.”
The second billboard atop the same building (where Bar 49 sits at 16th and Market), addresses artists, saying, “Thank you artists for donating your life’s work to our AI. Your generosity hasn’t gone unnoticed. Just uncompensated lmao.”
Photo: mattxiv/X
Photo: mattxiv/X
A similar billboard appeared in late September in New York’s Times Square, and another billboard has gone up on SF’s Lombard Street.
Photo via Replacement.AI
The fake company’s website has some even more incendiary taglines on it, which are nonetheless evocative of things many of us have already seen on billboards along 101 driving into and out of San Francisco, from real AI startups pitching how their product can replace costly humans.
“Humans no longer necessary,” says the landing page of Replacement.AI’s website. “Stupid. Smelly. Squishy. It’s time for a machine solution.”
And the top testimonial-style quote they have on the site is a real one from OpenAI’s Sam Altman, saying, “AI will probably most likely lead to the end of the world, but in the meantime, there’ll be great companies.”
Replacement.AI also has a couple videos on its YouTube account, one from purported one-named CEO Dan, and the other from Director of Replacement Faith. “While working for 12 years as the Director of HR for a multinational, Faith realized that firing people gave her an almost-spiritual high,” says the bio for Faith.
If we had to guess, these would be our two prankster performers. Anyone recognize them?
We’ll let you know if we learn more about who’s behind this fairly elaborate, satirical stunt.
In the meantime, “Don’t despair.” AI is coming for all of us. “I hope you’ve got savings!” as Dan says.