The Gwyneth Paltrow AI controversy only hurts women

On any given August night in the Hamptons, a wealthy Hollywood star is having dinner with a billionaire.It is one of the least surprising events of the summer social calendar.But when reports surfaced earlier this week that Gwyneth Paltrow was doing just that, the online mobs were quick to call for her well-coiffed head.

After Puck reported that Paltrow was set to host a private, off-the-record dinner “in honor of” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the Goop founder was widely condemned.Activist comedian Matt Bernstein even accused her of “technofascism.”Paltrow is no stranger to provocations and controversies, whether she’s peddling vagina-scented candles or vibrator necklaces.

But she’s also been widely celebrated and embraced for building a thriving business in Goop, normalizing conversations around menopause, and destigmatizing sexual taboos.Evidently though, for many of her fans and followers, embracing one of the most consequential technologies in the history of the world crosses a line.Stick to selling pricey sex toys and organic teriyaki bowls and leave that stuff to Silicon Valley.Paltrow is not the first prominent woman to face anger simply for associating with the technology.

Reese Witherspoon has made a career out of telling women’s stories.With her highly influential book club, she’s championed unknown authors, and she built Hello Sunshine into a $900 million company.But, she took her support of us gals too far this past April when she publicly urged women to learn how to use AI so they would not be left behind.In an Instagram post, she dared to note that “the jobs women hold are 3x more likely to be automated by AI, yet women are using AI at a rate 25% lower than men on average.” The backlash was swift.

Prominent author and supposed feminist Roxane Gay said “Oh Reese.Absolutely not.” Others accused her of shilling for AI companies.

There was such a pile-on that Witherspoon had to issue a statement.“No one is paying me to talk about...