Exposing the "Li Shanglong Talks AI" Scam: Anxiety Marketing, Fraudulent AI Courses, and Societal Impact

Exposing the "Li Shanglong Talks AI" Scam: Anxiety Marketing, Fraudulent AI Courses, and Societal ImpactRecently, the self-media blogger "Li Shanglong Talks AI" has rapidly gained popularity on video platforms with videos on artificial intelligence and economic trends. However, his content is filled with overly pessimistic descriptions of China's economic and social conditions, used as a pretext to sell his overpriced AI courses

Exposing the "Li Shanglong Talks AI" Scam: Anxiety Marketing, Fraudulent AI Courses, and Societal Impact

Recently, the self-media blogger "Li Shanglong Talks AI" has rapidly gained popularity on video platforms with videos on artificial intelligence and economic trends. However, his content is filled with overly pessimistic descriptions of China's economic and social conditions, used as a pretext to sell his overpriced AI courses. This is essentially anxiety marketing and a "harvesting leeks" (a Chinese idiom referring to exploiting naive investors) scheme disguised as AI education. This article will delve into Li Shanglong's rhetoric, marketing strategies, and potential societal harm, hoping to attract the attention of relevant authorities.

I. A "Technical Outsider" Masquerading as an "AI Expert":

Li Shanglong portrays himself as a "best-selling author," "serial entrepreneur," "visiting professor of artificial intelligence at the Open University of China," "scholar of artificial intelligence at the University of Toronto," and "Silicon Valley investor," creating an image of professional authority. However, publicly available information shows that he dropped out of university and lacks any practical experience or research achievements in the field of artificial intelligence. His so-called "expert" status is largely a carefully crafted, false persona. The "AI knowledge" he shares is far less insightful than news reports, superficial, lacking technical depth, and more like pieced-together fragmented information rather than interpretations based on solid professional knowledge. This is strikingly similar to Li Yizhou, another self-media blogger who used a Tsinghua University background for marketingboth leveraging false identities and gimmicks to deceive the public, ultimately aiming to sell courses and profit handsomely.

II. Painting a Picture of China's Collapse to Generate Public Anxiety:

To sell his 299 yuan AI course (reportedly selling 13,000 copies, generating approximately 4 million yuan in revenue), Li Shanglong constantly depicts China's economic collapse, social stratification, information blockade, and educational failures in his videos, attempting to create public anxiety to induce consumers to purchase his course. His claims include: "Is the global economy doing poorly? Don't be ridiculous! The global economy is recovering; only we are struggling." "Society is preventing the poor from becoming rich firmly controlling the classes to prevent trouble." "Don't invest in any financial assets in mainland China." "Mortgages from banks are exploitation." "You can't make money working. Selling online courses using AI is the only path for ordinary people in the future." These statements disregard facts, exaggerate negative information, incite social emotions, and are clearly misleading. He imposes his personal anxieties and pessimism on the public, using it as a selling point for his course, leveraging people's fear of future uncertainty to profit.

III. Multi-Platform Matrix Dissemination and Information Bombardment Marketing:

Li Shanglong manages dozens of video account matrices, cutting similar videos into smaller segments and repeatedly posting them on various platforms, using information bombardment to maximize audience reach. This flooding-the-market dissemination strategy makes negative information easier to spread online, impacting the public more significantly. This marketing method's low cost and high efficiency allow him to quickly accumulate followers and traffic, ultimately achieving his commercial goals. This behavior severely pollutes the online environment, spreads false information, and misleads the public.

IV. Attacking the Domestic System and Promoting "Going Abroad" and English Learning:

To further enhance his anxiety marketing, Li Shanglong constantly attacks China's education system, publishing system, and internet environment. He claims: "Why doesn't the domestic internet allow people to speak freely?" "Chinese is facing a huge crisis." "Douyin (TikTok China) doesn't allow people to speak I'm going to cancel my Douyin account and start using YouTube" "The three-review-and-three-proofreading system deletes most important and sensitive content the editors of the three-review-and-three-proofreading system are the poison of Chinese culture." "Why are our children becoming more rigid and less spiritual as they grow up?" He attributes various domestic problems to systemic suppression and censorship to highlight the superiority of foreign environments. These statements not only distort facts but also incite nationalistic sentiment, attempting to guide consumers to seek "a way out," thus purchasing his recommended English learning courses and imported books. He cleverly combines personal gain with national narratives to enhance his persuasiveness.

V. Demeaning Domestic Education and Promoting AI Course Selling as the Only Way Out:

Li Shanglong repeatedly demeans domestic education in his videos, claiming, "The things learned in universities, high schools, and junior high schools are completely useless and a waste of time University students solve the employment problems of schools, teachers, dorm management aunties and surrounding catering businesses, but the only thing they can't solve is their own employment because our universities don't teach anything; they are a holding facility." "Skip assignments whenever possible and go out and explore" He advocates that "graduate school is useless," "working can't make money," and repeatedly emphasizes that only by learning his AI course can one stand out in a highly competitive society and achieve financial freedom. These extreme statements not only mislead many young people but also negatively impact social values. He simplifies social problems into individual ability issues and directs the solution to his own coursea blatant case of commercial fraud.

VI. The Contradiction Between a Canadian/Silicon Valley Background and Profiting in China:

Ironically, this "successful person" who lives in Canada and frequently visits Silicon Valley in the US derives his main income from the Chinese market, earning money from Chinese citizens through book publishing and course sales. If he truly believed in his advocacy that "for the middle class and above, the only way out no matter which country you go to, you should go abroad," he should focus on overseas markets instead of persistently "harvesting leeks" in the Chinese market. This indirectly reveals that his so-called "AI expert" identity and "going abroad" suggestions are merely gimmicks to attract attention and sell courses.

VII. The Essence of Anxiety Marketing and its Societal Harm:

The core of Li Shanglong's rhetoric is generating anxiety and using it to sell his products. He uses people's fear of future uncertainty and worries about their social status to induce consumers to buy his courses. This anxiety marketing tactic is not only deceptive but also poses a potential threat to social stability. The large-scale dissemination of negative information may exacerbate social anxiety, affect social harmony, and negatively impact the stable development of society.

Conclusion:

Li Shanglong's behavior is not an isolated case; it reflects the chaos of some self-media bloggers disregarding facts and misleading the public for profit. Through a carefully constructed false persona, anxiety marketing strategies, and information bombardment dissemination methods, he has caused serious negative social impacts. We urge relevant authorities to strengthen regulation and crack down on such practices of using false information for commercial gain, maintaining a healthy online environment and preventing more people from being deceived. We also hope that the public will increase their vigilance, rationally discern information, and avoid being misled by false information. Only through collective efforts can we create a clearer and healthier online space.

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