Megi Endeladze and her husband opened Penny's Coffee Shop in downtown Buffalo, New York three years ago. Endeladze kept her 9-to-5 as a chiropractor while helping out in the shop. She photographed drinks and menu items, including a cheesy bread dish from their native country, Georgia, for social media and the website.

Seasonal drinks changed every few months, and photographing new items was a full-day event. "You have to time it so the foam doesn't deflate," she told Business Insider. A barista would create a chalkboard sign for new drink menus. But this fall, the aesthetically inclined barista had moved out of town, and no one on staff had the skill set.

So Endeladze decided to get a poster printed instead. With a newborn baby, she used ChatGPT to make an image of the menu and got the poster professionally printed for around $150. She also bought a plastic poster holder for around $200.

Then, she posted a photo of the new menu sign to Instagram. Soon, negative comments rolled in: "AI Slop." "Really a shame honestly." "Yikes." "SHAME SHAME SHAME." "Penny's customer — or I guess ex-customer now," started one DM. "I'm sorry it came to this, but AI is a hard no for me." "I didn't do it on purpose to upset anybody," Endeladze said. She lost about 100 followers.

Then came a threat. An account with a larger following DM'd her to take down the sign or they would post about it to their local artist community. Endeladze posted a follow-up to Instagram to apologize, saying the coffee shop would not use AI for menu artwork or promo designs.

But she urged customers to approach the topic with "kindness and respect." "There is a real person behind this small business," she wrote.