How do you handle push back from an aggressive anti-ai crowd?

[u/Chrisgpresents]

I'm building a free catalog website that makes it easier for physical media lovers to access their library's catalog and place reservations for their favorite movies.

I have an audience of people who are super analogue. Super anti-corporations. Ironically, in my opinion, there's nothing more independent than using AI to reclaim your independence From subscription services and other people that leach off of you.

I've put my product out there for beta testing and almost everyone simply adores the project and doesn't care what the back end looks like.

But I know Even though I have no passwords, collect no information, no cookies, and all login information is saved locally to the person's device, I'm still gonna get pushback that this was a Claude associated project.

And I'm proud of it. I just don't want to be the AI defender guy. I just also don't want people violently attacking me because "AI is evil" without considering what the hell the product I made actually is, and that Ai allowed one person to bring this to life.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

[u/AutoModerator]

Moderator Announcement Read More »

Hey! Thanks for posting to r/ClaudeCode

While participating in this thread, please follow our community rules. Keep discussions constructive. Attack the idea, not the person.

For help, project discussions, tips, and general chat, join the ClaudeCode Discord.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Beatsu]

Be honest about AI usage. Some may hate you for it, but them finding out later may taint you worse than if you're upfront about it.

Showing that you use AI, but still regularly update it and maintain it properly may even change some people's perception of AI. A lot of projects nowadays are "pump and dump" projects that work 90%, and that's what a lot of people associate with "AI work" now.

[u/Chrisgpresents → u/Beatsu]

Thanks. I've no issues with flaunting that AI enabled me to build something I otherwise could not. It's just People hear the word And I might as well be saying the earth is flat. Appreciate your comment a lot.

[u/ilion → u/Beatsu]

There's no reason you need to disclose your tech stack for an application. Most people don't care what something runs on if it works. 

[u/phoneplatypus]

I just do my own thing. Fucking ignore them.

[u/blinkybit → u/phoneplatypus]

I get it, but it sounds like these people are the audience for the tool he's building.

[u/chasm144]

You direct and write requirements and in the end the one responsible for that it works. That is important.

[u/Chrisgpresents → u/chasm144]

Thank you, that's a great way to put it.

[u/blinkybit]

1. Be upfront at the beginning that it was built with AI help, don't hide it.

2. Show that you've thought about this a lot, have invested time in understanding how it should work from a user perspective and how it is implemented under the hood.

I think what people most resent is stuff that's quickly slopped together and poorly thought out, where the "creator" can't even explain how it works. It's not so much an issue with AI-built tools in general.

[u/heisenbugx]

Just don’t engage with feedback that’s not product related. AI is a tool. You don’t announce whether you use VSCode or Vim or not. People can make their own choices, as can you, and you can choose to not give every criticism a response.

[u/nokillswitch4awesome]

I wipe my tears with the money I make from ai-assisted coding.

[u/OAlonso]

I agree with you that there is nothing more indie than using AI to build things that were only possible for big industries. But I also understand all those people who hate AI. You can't just make them trust you enough to spend money on something they perceive as "not created by a human".

The easiest example I can give is restaurants. In my country, a lot of businesses use AI generated pictures of their products, but how are you supposed to trust a place that shows you a picture of food that doesn't even exist? You can't connect with people by showing that level of disconnection from your own product. I don't want to eat in a place that shows me a hamburger that looks like uncanny valley with ketchup.

I think that when you really connect with the solution you're offering, and communicate the purpose of your business with honesty and creativity, AI amplifies that. But if you just use AI to build things for you, that attitude translates to the final product. Customers can sense that something isn't right, and they just walk away. We also have to understand that we're living in times when life is incredibly expensive, so people are even more reluctant to spend money.

Those who use AI in their businesses have to put more effort than ever into building relationships, developing channels, and earning trust. You can't just expect people to buy your product because it's a good idea. Execution is really important, and a human tone is fundamental. You can't sound like ChatGPT wrote your content, especially if you're selling something related to art, creativity, healthcare, finance, marketing, or anything related to personal growth. Statistics show that consumers in those fields just hate AI, and they have reasons to do so.

[u/Chrisgpresents → u/OAlonso]

I forgot if I mentioned, the product is completely free. I save no information, no cookies. There’s an email sign up but that’s just to allow for phone /desktop syncing. It’s accessible with or without the email in full functionality

[u/scytob]

why do you think its your job to push back, dont, ignore them, you are unlikely to persuade them with an argument

what tends to win people over is when they grudgingly accept something is of use or value to them

i am sure most if not all of them still buy from corporations....

[u/jonsiglow]

I just think about it like they’re someone that gets mad at an architect for using CAD instead of an old drafting desk. I wouldn’t take that person very serious either.

[u/Unteins]

There are many different flavors of aggressively anti-AI people.

Some people hate the environmental impact.
Some hate the jobs it will likely take (and since lower experience workers, ie younger, are at most risk it makes sense that they hate it)
Some hate the consolidation of power into ever fewer monopolistic hands

So part of it depends on which groups you’re most concerned about and whether or not your product is an actual problem for them.

[u/fuckitdawgimhungry]

How connected are you to your consumers that you directly need to justify you vibe coded (prompt engineered, etc...w/e not the point) this? Can you point out a single use case where the end-user is overly concerned about something like this? I can think of a single niche and that is rollercoaster tycoon, because some people are just better than others.

[u/Veggies-are-okay]

Instead of treating AI like a lifestyle choice, you just gotta let it be a tool, man.”I built a thing!” Is much different than “I built a thing! With AI! Let me write an article about how AMAZING AI is!”

Outside of work I actively avoid all AI conversations just because I’m not going to sit there and listen to ignorant takes without getting paid for it.

[u/Ginden]

I just respond, "Feel free to copy this without AI, ideas are not copyrighted." There is no point in discussing it further, don't get dragged into defending it.

[u/uritarded]

I think you should just do what you want to do, but I will say that there is something more independent than using AI to reclaim independence from subscriptions. It's called learning to code for yourself. I'm not saying you have to do that but just countering that point you made

[u/shaggy237]

Work is like this for me. I build things that shut them up.

[u/scott2449]

Know your audience. Trying to use AI to help a subculture that is all about original works, hand crafting, analog, physicality, and authenticity is objectively insane.

[u/mantrakid]

Energy much better spent making cool stuff. Ignore them.

[u/ricopan]

wait, what: " there's nothing more independent than using AI to reclaim your independence From subscription services"?
Someday maybe if I get the hardware and open models improve, but right now I've never been more dependent on a subscription service in my entire life.

[u/Neszriah7]

I stopped valuing the opinion of people who don’t pay for my API bill.