AI Startups Adopt Predatory Marketing Tactics to Sell False Hope

The article reveals how AI startups like Replit employ multi-level marketing tactics, leveraging influencer advertising on TikTok to sell false promises of instant wealth to economically vulnerable youth. By comparing contemporary AI hype to historical MLM schemes, the piece highlights how both exploit people in financial distress with unsustainable promises of riches. This raises critical questions about predatory marketing practices within the AI industry and the urgent need for ethical oversight.