These provocative AI billboards were designed to be hated

As technology rapidly advances, AI has become more divisive than ever. This hostility has never been clearer than in the backlash to a recent ad campaign sweeping its way through the subways of NYC.

Created by AI companion brand Friend, the campaign has seen mass resistance both on and offline, not helped by its rage-baiting marketing tactics. While some of the best adverts are created to spark conversation, it appears Friend has ignited an outpouring of derision that only serves to alienate AI sceptics further.

An A.I company just spent $1 million+ on print advertising in nyc, one of the biggest campaigns ever done.. only for it to be immediately graffitied by locals from r/interestingasfuck

Plunging into the AI wearable companion market (note how well that went for Rabbit and the AI Pin), Friend's unapologetically brash campaign features a series of minimalist billboards with provocative statements suggesting AI is superior to human connection.

Across NYC subway stations, ads reading "I'll never bail on dinner plans" and "I'll binge the entire series with you" were thrust in front of commuters, quickly leading to heated graffiti responses. Many criticised the ads for taking advantage of human loneliness, while others defaced the billboards with messages like "Go make real friends. This is surveillance," and "AI wouldn't care if you lived or died."

Created by Friend's 22-year-old CEO Avi Schiffmann, it seems the campaign was engineered to spark backlash. In response to a curious commenter on X who wrote, "Tell me the graffiti was part of the original print," Avi simply responded, "Why do you think I left so much white space?"

There's no such thing as bad publicity – it's a phrase we hear endlessly in the marketing sphere, but it's not a tactic without risk. As we've seen with similar AI campaigns, such as Artisan's provocative billboards, rage bait marketing might earn you the spotlight for a time, but viral moments quickly fade from relevance.

Has Schiffmann's campaign been successful? In a way, yes. But that doesn't detract from the fleeting nature of cheap-shot, flash-in-the-pan marketing. Building a brand on hate is unlikely to build a lasting customer base, likely dooming Friend to the AI gadget graveyard.