OpenAI’s first influencer brand trip sparked significant online backlash over the weekend of August 3, 2026, as public frustration over artificial intelligence continued to grow. The company flew a group of influencers to a luxury retreat in upstate New York for an event called “Summer Club,” where attendees were treated to farm-to-table dinners, wellness activities including beekeeping, and classes on how to use OpenAI products.
The influencers posted aesthetic, lighthearted videos of their experience on TikTok and Instagram, but the comments sections told a different story. Critics accused participants of selling out “for a nice hotel room,” and others asked pointed questions about AI data centers’ environmental impact. One influencer was sarcastically invited to film a get-ready-with-me video about touring a data center. A third influencer appeared to delete her video about the trip entirely after TechCrunch reached out for comment.
One influencer who attended wrote on LinkedIn that she had expected people to be interested in behind-the-scenes tips on using OpenAI technology. “I didn’t for one second consider it would be controversial,” she wrote. A person who left a negative comment told TechCrunch that the event gave people “ammunition to have negative opinions,” adding: “The world is on fire. It’s not a great time to brag about your $5,000-a-night suite.”
The timing added to the friction. OpenAI is reportedly set to strike a $500 billion deal to build a data center in Ohio at a moment when the environmental impact of AI infrastructure has drawn widespread attention. The company also holds a $200 million contract with the Department of Defense, which commenters cited as further reason for their criticism.
OpenAI is not alone in using influencer marketing — Anthropic reportedly hosted a brand dinner for Claude, and Microsoft Copilot brought influencers to the Super Bowl in February 2026. However, none of those efforts appear to have generated comparable backlash. OpenAI did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
Source: TechCrunch