OpenAI hosted a group of influencers at a luxury resort in upstate New York over the weekend for what the company called "Summer Club," a two-day retreat that has since drawn criticism across social media platforms.
Critics called the luxury "Summer Club" retreat in upstate New York tone-deaf given concerns about AI data centers and OpenAI's Pentagon contract
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OpenAI hosted a group of influencers at a luxury resort in upstate New York over the weekend for what the company called "Summer Club," a two-day retreat that has since drawn criticism across social media platforms.
According to TechCrunch, the event included farm-to-table dinners, wellness activities such as beekeeping, and painting workshops, alongside classes on OpenAI products including ChatGPT Work. The retreat was held at Wildflower Farms, according to NBC News.
Influencers who posted videos from the event faced pointed criticism in the comments. One creator was asked to reconcile her attendance with the environmental impact of AI data centers. Another was sarcastically invited to do a get-ready-with-me video touring a data center. A third influencer appeared to delete the video she posted about the trip, though she kept other content that did not reference the OpenAI event.
One person who left a negative comment on an influencer's post said that the event gave critics ammunition. "The world is on fire. It's not a great time to brag about your $5,000-a-night suite," she said.
The backlash was compounded by timing. OpenAI is preparing to finalize a $500 billion deal to build a data center in Ohio, and the company holds a $200 million contract with the Department of Defense — both of which drew mention in critical comments on influencer posts. On LinkedIn, one influencer said she had expected curiosity rather than outrage, writing that she was caught completely off guard by the reaction: "I didn't for one second consider it would be controversial," according to TechCrunch.
OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said the event was education-led and aimed at giving creators direct experience with its tools so they could demonstrate them to their audiences. "Creators are an important part of our community and how people get information and learn about our products today," Pusateri said. "We welcome healthy debate as AI becomes more prevalent, and we value creators who choose to engage with us, attend our events, ask tough questions, and learn alongside everyone else."
The brand trip is part of a broader marketing push. Charles Porch, who previously led global partnerships at Instagram, joined OpenAI as its first VP of global creative partnerships. OpenAI is not alone among AI companies in courting influencers — Anthropic held a brand dinner for Claude, and Microsoft $MSFT Copilot hosted influencers at the Super Bowl in February.
The expansion of OpenAI's marketing efforts coincides with the company's push into advertising. OpenAI opened its self-serve Ads Manager to all U.S. businesses after eliminating a $50,000 entry barrier that had restricted the platform to larger spenders since its launch earlier this year.
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