A coffee shop owner used AI to make a menu poster. Then came the angry DMs

Re:A coffee shop owner used AI to make a menu poster. Then c... by Imnimo on Wednesday September 16, 2026 @03:55PM (#49732068)

I would definitely be less likely to buy food/drink from a place with AI ads (because I don't trust that what they're advertising would correspond to what they're selling), but I can't imagine threatening someone over it.

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Re:A coffee shop owner used AI to make a menu poster. Then c... by ratelimitsteve on Wednesday September 16, 2026 @03:57PM (#49732098)

I would once again like to point out that the "threat" mentioned in the article is someone saying they'll talk about what the shop owner did with their friends.

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Re:A coffee shop owner used AI to make a menu poster. Then c... by kbelder on Wednesday September 16, 2026 @04:00PM (#49732146)

"post about it in a local artist community" is not exactly "talk about it with their friends."

It's bullying.

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Re:A coffee shop owner used AI to make a menu poster. Then c... by AndrewDucker on Wednesday September 16, 2026 @04:28PM (#49732527)

It's informing people that there is something a business is doing that they might not approve of and they might want to change their behaviour accordingly.

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Re:A coffee shop owner used AI to make a menu poster. Then c... by joquarky on Thursday September 17, 2026 @01:23AM (#49736722)

In the same way that sealioning is just a debate strategy.

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Re:A coffee shop owner used AI to make a menu poster. Then c... by miltonlost on Wednesday September 16, 2026 @04:29PM (#49732543)

Imagine if it said "post about it on Hacker News". That's not bullying

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Re:A coffee shop owner used AI to make a menu poster. Then c... by axus on Wednesday September 16, 2026 @04:35PM (#49732640)

And if the shop owner is Jewish, it would be anti-semitism:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-BDS_laws

I consider a boycott threat a non-violent threat; legal but an exercise of power that has moral dimensions.

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Re:A coffee shop owner used AI to make a menu poster. Then c... by boogieknite on Wednesday September 16, 2026 @04:43PM (#49732746)

im like you, simply out of apathy. but i immediately thought, "if were the coffee shop owner, would i rather experience a silent decline in business or face public outrage but have an opportunity for redemption?"

ive been called enough mean names by friends and strangers id much rather be called some more mean names in order to become aware of what i could do to win back some customers

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Re:A coffee shop owner used AI to make a menu poster. Then c... by gitaarik on Thursday September 17, 2026 @12:03AM (#49736257)

I guess you don't realize that half of the stuff you're seeing is already AI. What you probably mean is low quality unreviewed stuff.

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