The AI-based introduction platform Boardy faced widespread criticism on Monday after sending out a controversial email campaign that imitated the style of former President Donald Trump. The emails, which were intended to forge connections between professionals, instead sparked outrage due to their tone-deaf and objectifying remarks, particularly towards female recipients. The emails issued comments based on users’ profile pictures and appearance.
Female recipients described the messages as objectifying, noting that male users had not been subjected to the same types of remarks. Anna Dewar Gully, chief executive of Tidal Equality, received comments about her “totally powerful eyebrows” and “million-dollar smile.” Marketing director Natalia Williams was complimented on her “black ensemble” and “smile that could light up the room.
In contrast, emails sent to men focused more on their professional capabilities. Consultant Jeremy Krage was praised for his “approachable excellence,” while Boardy’s chief executive, Andrew D’Souza, received feedback highlighting his leadership skills.
Many women expressed their frustration and disappointment with the campaign on social media.
Controversial AI email campaign backlash
Ex-Amazon employee Milly Barker posted on LinkedIn, “It, oddly, doesn’t mention my multiple degrees or significant my professional experience.
It just wants me to know that my value in society is purely aesthetic.”
Humaira Ahmed, founder of BestHuman, shared a similar experience in which an email described her “blazer and white collar combo” as projecting “such elegance, such grace.” Ahmed, who had previously considered changing her hair color to avoid unwanted attention, found the messaging “incredibly creepy and tone-deaf.”
Boardy’s chief executive, Andrew D’Souza, apologized for the error, admitting that the campaign was ill-conceived. “The reality is: I got excited about the momentum Boardy was getting. We came up with this campaign, and it was short-sighted,” he stated.
“The idea of commenting on people’s appearance is not really the point of what we stand for. I messed up, and I apologize.”
The controversial marketing campaign came just days after Boardy secured £6.5 million in venture capital funding for its AI bot. The incident reminds us of the ongoing challenges in ensuring that new technologies are applied thoughtfully and equitably, particularly in the context of gender biases in the tech industry.
