Fans slammed Cliff Tan for promoting AI. He says ignoring the tech would be 'irresponsible.'

Aug 14, 2026 04:03 PM - 1 month ago 10

Cliff Tan attends the 29th Annual Webby Awards astatine Cipriani Wall Street connected May 12, 2025 successful New York City.

YouTube prima Cliff Tan apologized for promoting AI, but he doesn't regret it.

Tan, who came nether aggravated backlash from fans aft he posted a paid promotion for an AI institution connected Monday, told Business Insider that, for illustration it aliases not, interior designers request to study to usage AI if they want to secure early work.

"You can't conscionable debar it forever," Tan said. "The manufacture is utilizing it. You request to clasp it if you don't want to beryllium retired of a job."

Tan is based successful London and runs a celebrated interior creation YouTube transmission called "Dear Modern" that has 2.4 cardinal subscribers. He besides runs a corresponding TikTok relationship pinch 3.6 cardinal followers.

Though Tan apologized for the paid advertisement — which promoted Dreamina, a Chinese AI company owned by TikTok creator ByteDance — he didn't return it down from his channel. He told Business Insider that arsenic an influencer, he wouldn't consciousness correct ignoring AI's imaginable uses successful architecture and interior design.

"I thought it was a spot irresponsible for maine to conscionable expanse AI nether the carpet," he said.

In the ad, Tan uploads hand-drawn sketches to Dreamina and past uses the level to toggle shape them into an animated level plan.

Tan said he took awesome pains to show his assemblage he wasn't blindly utilizing the programme to make ideas, but alternatively to quicken what would different beryllium a lengthy process of rendering an animation.

The backlash came anyway.

"cliff nary dont springiness successful to the ai slop," 1 commenter wrote. "No, Mr. Cliff. Please. Don't waste yourself to AI," different wrote. That 1 has 1,800 likes.

Tan said he expected immoderate antagonistic comments, but not the tsunami that he yet received. "They felt like, 'oh, I americium not the aforesaid arsenic before,'" he said. "When they saw maine jump connected the bandwagon, they were very disappointed."

Dreamina, Tan said, initially wanted him to make the advertisement pinch a batch much pro-AI sentiment. Tan said he negotiated pinch the institution to make an advertisement that was much "true to my followers" by incorporating his ain doubts astir AI into the video.

"I should opportunity that you tin usage it, but only successful the correct way," Tan recalled thinking.

Creators of each kinds are progressively coming nether occurrence from their audiences for utilizing AI. Hank Green, who makes acquisition videos astir subject and different subjects and is one of the internet's astir reliable contented creators, apologized to fans past week for relying connected AI "too heavily" erstwhile researching his videos. He later shared a new AI policy for his channel.

In the world of influencers, wherever authenticity and quirkiness are basal to support devoted audiences, the cognition that a creator is utilizing AI tin damage their estimation and brand.

Tan, who described himself arsenic "really, really analog," said he doesn't expect AI ever playing a domiciled successful really he makes his videos. He didn't, however, norm retired early AI endorsements.

"If I spot that it's valuable to incorporated the usage of AI successful the manufacture aliases to amended group successful a measurement that is affirmative for their growth, I might," he said.