In July, we wrote about the ‘ChatGPT flyer pandemic,’ in which, as you’ve surely seen, businesses everywhere are advertising themselves and their products with AI-generated posters that all look the same. Surf lesson coaches; guitar stores; bars; so many takeout places. They’re all doing it. And all the posters suck ass.
Naturally, a new meta is emerging, where some businesses and organizations are now holding up crudely drawn signs saying they’ll never use AI, or fuck AI, or various things like this. And people absolutely love it: some of these posts have tens of thousands of likes.
“I would rather your event flyer look like this than see more AI slop,” one flyer posted to Instagram, written in pencil on a page of lined paper, reads. It then shows a couple of stick figures smiling, with the text “I will come to this event.”
Another Instagram post has a couple of people from a bar holding a clip board. The hand-written note in one picture says, “We will NOT be using any AI post to promote the following…” Other pictures then ask people to apply for job vacancies at the bar.
A library posted a very similar message on a piece of cardboard, that reads, “We will not be using AI to create content.”
A cafe posted a series of photos on Instagram of someone holding a paper sign that says, “We will not be using any AI posters to promote ourselves. Instead I will be using this paper and marker pen.” One of the photos adds, “the pancakes are really really GOOD!”
“I hear ya’ll hate AI flyers! So here I am doing hair,” a hand-written sign from a stylist reads, complete with a picture of someone working on another’s hair.
Rachel Karten, writer of the Link In Bio newsletter, posted some other examples 404 Media came across as well.
This trend will probably go stale fast. But, hey, jump on it while you can.
