A report on CNBC has outlined some of the extremes that AI companies (and companies heavily invested in AI) have begun taking to try to convince someone, anyone, that their garbage is worth using, and the numbers involved are a) staggering and b) entirely expected from a group who would think milk costs $20.
Citing "a person familiar with the deals who asked not to be named because the terms are private", the report says that Microsoft and Google in particular have paid between $400,000 and $600,000 to creators for "long-term partnerships spanning several months".
If you, like me, think that's insane, this explanation at least checks out; AJ Eckstein, founder and CEO of the agency Creator Match, told CNBC that many of these companies are so flush with billions in seed money that "they don’t care to negotiate".
Who, you may ask, would take that money? People like business influencer Megan Lieu, who chose not to disclose just how much she'd made from her AI deals, but says her biggest sponsorship to date has been with Anthropic (makers of Claude), as well as that her biggest sponsored contracts (for any client) are normally around the $30,000 mark.
If there are any companies out there who would like to sponsor Aftermath to tell people AI is dogshit and is the most destructive intrusion on our daily lives in living memory, and that if you use it you’re a big baby who can’t write their own emails or enjoy their own artistic processes, please reach out!
