'Insulting and belittling': Legalweek attendees slam AI company's 'woman in red dress' booth

A booth display at this week’s Legalweek conference in New York featuring sexist tropes about women has sparked criticism and left some attendees “perplexed” and outraged.

The booth in the main exhibit hall belonged to Zantaz Data Resources, an AI company offering a “data refining” product designed to help organisations optimise their Microsoft AI tools by sorting through data.

A conference attendee, Jack Weinberger, co-founder of AI time-tracking company Ajax, posted an image on LinkedIn of three Zantaz representatives standing before a large board depicting an AI-generated woman in a tight red dress. Beside her, the board reads:

“Who knows what she really wants… 

“But, fortunately, Zantaz really knows what Copilot hungers for…”

Backlash

Michelle Six, counsel at US law firm Gunster, commented: “Perplexing is one word. It’s also insulting, belittling, and frankly infuriating. And if the product is asking what *she* really wants, I confidently speak for myself and my peers when I say it’s decidedly NOT THIS. Do better.”

Another attendee, who asked to remain anonymous, told Non-Billable: “This stand was not thought through - or if it was, it was done with either no women in the room or no men that felt they were able to push back on a poorly thought through idea.

“They may have a fantastic product but I doubt anyone saw beyond the shocking imagery and text next to it to want to have a conversation with them. I seriously doubt this company has considered the fact they are alienating so many of their target audience.”

According to Zantaz’s website, licensing its technology costs companies a flat rate of $1 million per year. 

Jeremy Secker, head of sales at consultancy ion8, shared his thoughts: “I know what she wants and it isn't $1 million dollars per year for a trusted data buffet. Why is this booth giving divorced dad energy?”

Zantaz responds

In a response posted online, Zantaz CEO Will White said the company's use of the phrase “Who knows what she really wants…” drew “the type of attention that our entire design team was hoping for.”

“Our AI-generated Woman in a Red Dress was meant to grab your attention, and it certainly did that, but our provocative comment “Who knows what she really wants…” was meant to pique your interest,” he said. 

“This gave us the opportunity to explain that the Woman in a Red Dress is AI-generated and we don’t know what she is thinking, because we really don’t know what AI is thinking. Today, people are increasingly using AI-generated responses without understanding where they really come from.

“Unfortunately, we did receive a few critical comments that were directed at objectifying women, which was clearly not our intention. Hopefully, with a better realization of what AI does and doesn’t know will help everyone understand our mission and our marketing.  The battle is about AI objectifying and reducing humans.”

Legalweek responds

Commenting under Weinberger’s post on Linkedin, Legalweek said: “As the conference organizer, we’re sorry that an exhibitor’s booth graphics included objectionable imagery that did not maintain the spirit of Legalweek. 

“We've already begun updating our exhibitor guidelines and review processes so we can better prevent and address situations like this before they arise at future events.”

This is not the first time Legalweek has faced controversy - its 2024 edition was followed by reports of sexual harassment and misconduct at off-site parties that raised concerns about the culture surrounding some legal industry gatherings.