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Cryptic billboards catching attention in San Francisco

Adobe Stock

March 23, 2026

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In the past year or two a series of cryptic billboards have been attracting attention in a California city despite the fact they are aimed at a tiny audience.

Board slogans, including "Intelligent AF," and "Agents don't work without evals," have popped up in San Francisco.

The advertising is aimed at those working for AI startups, according to a NPR report.

"I look at these billboards and have absolutely no idea what they're advertising," Louise Mozingo, director of the urban design program at the University of California, Berkeley, told NPR. "They're quite clearly not advertising to the average consumer."

Outfront Media reported that billboard rental revenue in the California city grew by a third between 2023 and 2025, according to the news report..

"The goal is intentional in a kind of 'if-you-know-you-know' type of way," Mike Bilodeau, head of marketing at the AI infrastructure startup Baseten, told the news outlet.