Cliff Tan's AI ad backlash tests creator authenticity

Tan said ignoring AI's potential uses in architecture and interior design would be "irresponsible." In the ad, he uploads hand-drawn sketches to Dreamina and uses the platform to turn them into animated floor plans. He said he took pains to show his audience he was not blindly generating ideas, but using the tool to speed up an otherwise lengthy rendering process.

Dreamina initially wanted a more aggressively pro-AI pitch, Tan said. He negotiated with the company to make an ad that was "true to my followers" by incorporating his own doubts about AI into the video. "I should say that you can use it, but only in the right way," he recalled thinking.

The episode illustrates a growing tension for influencers. Audiences reward authenticity and quirkiness. The perception that a creator is using AI can damage their reputation and brand. Hank Green, a veteran educational YouTuber, apologized to fans last week for relying on AI "too heavily" when researching his videos. He later published a new AI policy for his channel.

Tan described himself as "really, really analog" and said he does not anticipate AI ever playing a role in how he makes his videos. He did not rule out future AI endorsements. "If I see that it's valuable to incorporate the use of AI in the industry or to educate people in a way that is positive for their growth, I might," he said.