‘Tone deaf’: Much-hyped AI bot triggers backlash with mock Trump email
Much-hyped AI startup Boardy faced backlash from users on Monday after a “tone-deaf” email campaign commented on its users’ appearance in the mock tone of Donald Trump.
Boardy, a tech start-up which aims to forge connections between professionals, sent a mass email to its customers yesterday imitating the newly inaugurated president.
However, users were left outraged after the emails issued comments based on users’ pictures and appearance.
“Boardy’s emails were not just tone-deaf; they were a stark reminder of how much work remains to make AI truly equitable,” one recipient said.
Female recipients described the emails as objectifying and claimed male users had not been subjected to the same comments.
Anna Dewar Gully, chief executive of Tidal Equality, received remarks about her “totally powerful eyebrows” and “million dollar smile” whilst marketing director Natalia Williams received unsolicited compliments on her “black ensemble” and “smile that could light up Trump Tower”.
Emails to men meanwhile appeared to avoid appearance-related remarks, focusing instead on their professional capabilities.
Consultant Jeremy Krage was complimented for his “approachable excellence”, while Boardy’s chief executive, Andrew D’Zouza, received feedback highlighting his “approachable excellence” and leadership skills.
Ex-Amazon employee Milly Barker also took to LinkedIn to share her outrage.
“It, oddly, doesn’t mention my multiple degrees or my significant professional experience”, she said. “It just wants me to know that my value in society is purely aesthetic”.
She posted: “The message in their email felt like a reflection of the same systemic issues women face daily — but now wrapped up in AI, where it’s harder to hold anyone accountable.”
Founder of BestHuman, Humaira Ahmed, shared a similar experience on LinkedIn, in which an email described her “blazer and white collar combo” which it said projected “such elegance, such grace.”
“For someone who has had to contemplate changing her hair colour to avoid unwanted attention, the messaging in their email felt incredibly creepy and tone-deaf,” she said.
D’Souza apologised for his error, Forbes reported.
He wrote: “The reality is: I got excited about the momentum Boardy was getting. We came up with this campaign, and it was short-sighted.”
The controversial marketing campaign came just days after the startup raised $8m (£6.5m) in venture capital funding for its AI bot, months after closing a pre-seed round. D’Souza claimed the AI bot raised the money without any human interaction.