An online campaign calling for a boycott of ChatGPT due to OpenAI management's financial support for Donald Trump has gained traction in the U.S., with over 700,000 participants signing up to cancel their subscriptions.
An online campaign urging users to cancel their subscriptions to ChatGPT has rapidly gained momentum in the United States, sparked by concerns over the financial contributions made by OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, to super PACs supporting Donald Trump. Activists have raised alarm, pointing out that OpenAI executives have donated millions of dollars to these political action committees while the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has utilized GPT-4 technology in its hiring processes. The movement, which has garnered significant attention on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, encourages users to participate by canceling their subscriptions and sharing their experiences online through hashtags like #QuitGPT.
As of the latest reports, more than 700,000 individuals have declared their intention to boycott ChatGPT through a dedicated website and various social media interactions. Activists initiated the campaign at the end of the previous month, motivated by a desire to halt what they perceive as the complicity of big tech companies in the spread of authoritarianism in the U.S. They emphatically stated that they will continue the boycott until OpenAI's management pledges to cease all donations to Trump, the Republican Party, and any super PACs associated with them, asserting that they will not allow these authorities to receive support.
The movement has gained celebrity endorsements, with figures like Mark Ruffalo, who played the Hulk in the 'Avengers' series, actively participating. Ruffalo took to Instagram, accusing OpenAI's leadership of being major Trump's financial backers and highlighting how their technology supports ICE operations. His post alone has received approximately 1.98 million likes, reflecting the widespread public support for the cause. Other notable figures, including activist investor Scott Galloway and Dutch historian Rutger Bregman, have also joined the movement, indicating a broader cultural push against perceived corporate complicity in political issues.
