San Francisco AI startup apologizes for ‘Stop Hiring Humans’ billboards

Artisan, the San Francisco AI startup behind the “Stop Hiring Humans” billboards, says it has retired the slogan after two years. CEO Jaspar Carmichael-Jack apologized in a LinkedIn post and said the company’s new slogan is “Be More Human.” Artisan Artisan, the San Francisco AI startup behind the “Stop Hiring Humans” billboards that startled Bay Area commuters and helped make the company a viral name in tech says it was retiring its slogan. Artisan CEO Jaspar Carmichael-Jack said Thursday on LinkedIn that the company “officially retired the slogan after two years,” adding that “Artisan is a pro-human company.” The reversal marks a softer public turn for a company that built much of its early name recognition around one of the bluntest messages in the AI boom.  Artisan sells Ava, an AI business development representative that automates parts of sales, leads, messaging and booking meetings. Article continues below this ad The company’s ads appeared around San Francisco and New York with lines such as “Stop Hiring Humans,” “Hire Artisans, Not Humans” and “Artisans Won’t Complain About Work-Life Balance.” They were designed to be provocative, Carmichael-Jack has said, and they succeeded in drawing attention well beyond the startup’s target market. In a company
Read More