Who is behind the 'Stop Hiring Humans' billboards in San Francisco?

A recent billboard campaign in San Francisco has been turning heads by taking a stance against human employees. The billboards feature the slogan “Stop Hiring Employees” along with messages about how AI would be better to hire than actual people. The company behind these ads is, unsurprisingly, a company that sells AI-powered software.

Artisan’s main product is an AI sales agent called Ava that it says can find and connect with potential customers. It says that Ava requires “no human input” and costs 96 percent less than having a person in the same role. CEO Jaspar Carmichael-Jack said the company created the billboard ad campaign because “we wanted something that would draw eyes — you don't draw eyes with boring messaging.”

It certainly is drawing eyes, though not friendly ones if the reactions on the Internet are any indication. One user on Bluesky posted an image of one of the billboards and captioned it with just a scream. And there’s a whole thread on Reddit where people have commented that the ads, coupled with issues like the city’s high cost of living, make San Francisco feel like a dystopia.