From AI-made jokes to Harry Potter fashion videos, AI can be used to make funny stuff. But can it be as funny as a human? And if it can, does it present a danger to comedy writers in the future ? That's something performers have been looking at in this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, running from Aug 4 to 28.
Anyone can put on a show at the Fringe, and this year even robots were getting in on the act. One of Fringe's big shows even used a small robot to come up with jokes from audience suggestions, which were then performed by humans. The results could be very funny, but sometimes they weren't funny at all. That was part of the point, explained Piotr Mirowski, the show's co-maker.
"We do not use humans to 'show off' AI; instead, we use AI 'to show' its limitations, to showcase human creativity on the stage, "said Mirowski, according to the Guardian.
But one performer at the Fringe said he's using AI to make jokes for him because he's out of ideas. Comedian Peter Bazely's show has him playing a supporting role to "an entirely computer-generated comedian" called AI Jesus. The Fringe review website, Chortle, talked about today's AI concerns: "In a world where artists are worried that AI could end up doing their jobs for them, Bazely is said to be praying this one will do exactly that."
The reasons for companies wanting to use AI are certainly understandable, but the dangers they present to many people's jobs are becoming more and more real, and that's not very funny. From concerns in schools and colleges about students using ChatGPT for their work, to writers and actors worrying that AI could be used to replace them, fears about the dangers of AI are a hot topic in the world.
Back in March of this year, a letter calling for a six-month stop on advanced AI development was signed by over 1,000 people working with AI technologies including Elon Musk and other well-known tech leaders, reported The New York Times. Then, in May, leaders in the AI industry signed a document from the Center for AI Safety warning that AI could present an extinction-level danger and "should be a global priority alongside... pandemics and nuclear war."
