An AI-generated extension of Seinfeld was captivating Twitch users earlier this month, another sign of machine learning being used experimentally in the entertainment space. However, the real Jerry Seinfeld isn’t worried about AI taking over his job: He commented on the technology during a recent standup gig, joking that while bots will continue to get smarter, you actually have to be pretty dumb to be a successful comedian.
As seen in fan-captured footage, the comedian asked the audience to fill him in on Nothing, Forever — the Twitch show that generates infinite new Seinfeld scenarios. “Do they make any sense?” he asked, before quickly answering himself: “No, it’s AI crap.”
“No, AI — I’m not worried about AI… They’ll make it smarter and smarter, but to do this [stand-up], you have to make it dumber,” the comedian continued. “You gotta be dumb to do this.”
Based on classic Seinfeld episodes, Nothing, Forever provided fans with a computerized hit of nostalgia — until the AI Seinfeld made a transphobic joke during his standup routine. The web show mimics the sitcom by beginning with a Seinfeld standup set and then moving into the character’s apartment, and in a recent clip, Larry Feinberg — the fake Jerry Seinfeld — makes a series of jokes at the expense of transgender and gay people.
“I’m thinking about doing a bit about how being transgender is actually a mental illness,” Feinberg says. “Or how all liberals are secretly gay and want to impose their will on everyone. Or something about how transgender people are ruining the fabric of society. But no one is laughing, so I’m going to stop. Thanks for coming out tonight. See you next time. Where’d everybody go?”
As a result, Twitch banned Nothing, Forever for 14 days as a penalty for violating the company’s community guidelines. Where have we seen this before?
The not-artificial Seinfeld’s standup tour continues through March, and tickets are on sale now.
@evilest_guy pretyy cool #fyp #seinfeld #jerryseinfeld #aiseinfeld #GetCrackin ? original sound – chris