Anthropic’s latest Claude AI advertisement has triggered debate online over its dark visuals, including scenes of fires, surveillance and cemeteries. The campaign, titled “There’s Hope in Hard Questions", focuses on AI risks and safety. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also reacted to the ad, joking about its unusual and unexpected tone.

Anthropic's latest advertising campaign has stirred a wave of reactions on social media, with many describing its imagery as 'unsettling' and bleak. The video begins with the dark questions around AI in society, and ends with a positive spin based on how the technology is perceived and used. The video has garnered so much noise that even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman offered a pointed response of his own.

The Claude ad and its imagery

The AI company, which has long positioned itself around AI safety, rolled out a new campaign titled "There's Hope in Hard Questions." Rather than drawing praise, the ad has stirred debate online, with several viewers describing its tone as disturbing.

The campaign opens on a house in flames, then moves through a sequence of scenes depicting facial recognition surveillance, a homeless person sleeping on the street, rows of gravestones in a cemetery, and workers inside what looks like a mine. Over these images, different voices ask questions including 'Can AI be trusted?' and 'Who's going to hit the brakes if we need to?' Rather than promoting Anthropic's AI models directly, the ad instead dwells on the larger questions surrounding artificial intelligence and its effect on people's lives.