Anthropic just dropped a new ad called "Hope Lies in the Hard Problems," and it's safe to say it did not land the way the company hoped.
https://twitter.com/sama/status/2076824686307271125
The spot was supposed to show that Anthropic takes AI risks seriously. Instead, it opens with burning houses, facial recognition surveillance, homeless people, and rows of tombstones. The voiceover asks: "Can AI be trusted?" and "Who hits the brakes when it goes off the rails?"
A lot of viewers thought it looked more like an AI apocalypse trailer. Even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he initially thought it was a parody account. One person reported that a relative called after seeing the ad on TV and asked, "Why is an AI company threatening us?"
The cemetery scene was the most controversial. Right as the narrator asks who will "hit the brakes" on AI, the screen fills with gravestones. To many, that felt like a direct suggestion that AI could lead to mass death.
Anthropic wanted to get the public to voice their AI fears, then respond to them one by one. Instead of looking like a responsible AI company, they mostly just spread terror.