OpenAI’s first-ever influencer brand trip is stirring up online criticism, as ongoing tensions around artificial intelligence take center stage. Over the weekend, OpenAI invited what appears to be a small group of influencers to a lavish retreat in upstate New York, dubbed “Summer Club.” The creators enjoyed farm-to-table meals, wellness activities like beekeeping, and workshops aimed at helping them get more out of OpenAI’s products. One participant shared a video about building a website, while another snapped a photo of a brochure advertising a “painting workshop.”

The content coming out of the trip was polished and playful, but the reactions in the comments were anything but. One influencer who posted about the experience on TikTok and Instagram faced accusations of “selling her soul for a nice hotel room,” while others asked if she could film a segment addressing how the trip squares with the environmental impact of AI data centers. Another creator was jokingly asked whether she’d do a “get-ready-with-me” video—the popular influencer format—about touring a data center instead.

It’s hardly a surprise that OpenAI is turning to influencers with luxury perks. In February, Vanity Fair reported that the company had brought on “celebrity whisperer” Charles Porch as its first VP of global creative partnerships, after he left a similar role at Instagram. At the time, Porch said his mission was to engage with creative communities “to figure out how we build the best products to serve them,” and he planned to embark on a “listening tour” to better understand how people relate to AI tools. OpenAI isn’t alone in this approach—Anthropic reportedly hosted an influencer dinner for Claude, and Microsoft Copilot took influencers to the Super Bowl in February, as noted in the tech newsletter Sarah and Kate. Still, none of those efforts seem to have sparked the same level of backlash as OpenAI’s retreat.

One influencer took to LinkedIn to explain her perspective, saying she thought people “would be interested in the behind-the-scenes tips and tricks” of using OpenAI’s technology, but she hadn’t anticipated how many people are anti-AI. “I didn’t for one second consider it would be controversial,” she wrote. A commenter responded by pointing out that many Americans hold negative views of AI and stressed the need for a broader conversation about responsible use of the technology. “The world is on fire. It’s not a great time to brag about your $5,000-a-night suite.”

The timing of the trip also raised eyebrows. OpenAI is poised to finalize a $500 billion deal to build a data center in Ohio, at a moment when the socio-ecological consequences of AI infrastructure are under intense scrutiny. Some commenters couldn’t help but note the irony of OpenAI hosting a nature-filled luxury retreat while facing questions about its environmental footprint. Others pointed to OpenAI’s $200 million contract with the Department of Defense as another reason the trip drew such sharp criticism. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.