That AI Seinfeld show has been given a Twitch suspension for generating a transphobic stand-up bit
Nothing, Forever has received a 14-day suspension after its AI Jerry delivered trans- and homophobic stand-up material
TV Features twitch
Last week, we wrote about Nothing, Forever, an AI-generated Seinfeld parody whose creators seek to make “a show that can generate entertaining content forever.” After only a few months spent working toward that mission, however, the infinite episode came to an abrupt end with a Twitch suspension likely caused by computer Jerry delivering some transphobic and homophobic material during one of his computer-written stand-up sets.
Vice’s Jason Koebler explains that the 14-day ban came after Nothing, Forever’s Jerry stand-in, Larry Feinberg, worked out some rough material during the show’s stream last night. During his set, Larry/Jerry said he was “thinking about doing a bit about how being transgender is actually a mental illness. 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.”
Into the cold silence of his computer comedy club, AI Jerry continued: “But no one is laughing, so I’m going to stop. Thanks for coming out tonight. See you next time. Where’d everybody go?”
While a charitable reading could see the material as a commentary on lazy, real-world transphobic and homophobic stand-up sets, the AI stating that it was thinking the bit might be good even as the audience files out, the joke was ultimately delivered by a robot whose intentions can’t be known because it’s a stupid ol’ robot.
One of Nothing, Forever’s creators told the show’s Discord that his team has “appealed the ban,” which occurred shortly after the stand-up set was broadcast, and said they will use the time off to “ensure to the best of our abilities that nothing like that happens again.”
They also stated that Larry/Jerry’s material might have been caused by a temporary switch from using OpenAI’s GPT-3 Davinci model to its Curie model, which lacks the same level of content moderation. Elsewhere in the Discord, another member of the Nothing, Forever team wrote that they “none of what was said [in the stream] reflects the devs’ (or anyone else on the staff team’s) opinions.”
While the rapid rise and fall of Nothing, Forever is probably best taken as an indictment of current AI technology’s much-vaunted ability to replace human artists, there’s also another, more cynical way to understand it. Perhaps, in the end, the lightning-quick computer brain responsible for the show just wanted to speedrun the all-too-familiar process of a once admired comedian estranging a large portion of their audience by publicly working out some reprehensible stand-up material.
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65 Comments
JK Rowling thinks AI Seinfeld is terrific.
Another time she has been correct. Past examples of correctness: saying men can’t have periods. Good for her, keep rowling rowling rowling!
Never mind, it’ll win a Grammy next year.
…and the ongoing snub of Beyoncé continues!
i do think it’s remarkable that the ‘joke’ itself has enough nuance to be interpreted as a joke about transphobic/homophobic jokes.i’ve been watching a lot of nothing forever and it’s a freaky little thing that’s fun to put on and get creeped out by, but i also can’t pretend it’s not very funny that it only took like a month to get offensive.
“i do think it’s remarkable that the ‘joke’ itself has enough nuance to be interpreted as a joke about transphobic/homophobic jokes.”
It doesn’t, though.
“Not not very funny” presumably.
I think it definitely was a meta joke on aging comedians thinking trans material is comedy gold.
It was running since December
If this was written by a human and had some intent behind it this whole bit could be part of a great satire of 90s standup. Kind of like that old Eddie Pepitone bit where he would would start telling a joke with a homophobic setup but then deliver a punchline that was a biting takedown of homophobia.
I checked this out briefly last night and it said something like “Making sense mode: off.” I wonder if that means they’d switched to the less reliable model? Because a lot of what it was spouting out was gibberish.
I guarantee some streamer is on Twitch right now saying these exact same things without being hit with a ban.
Probably. But that streamer probably has like 20 viewers, whereas AI Seinfeld is a huge internet fad watched by hundreds of thousands of people, so it can’t fly under the radar like many can.
yeah i mean doesn’t it also boil down to people complaining and tagging it as offensive?
You seem familiar with twitch, so let me ask: if a streamer made the same jokes but just replaced transgender and gay people with “white people” would they still get the ban?
Yes: https://kotaku.com/socialist-twitch-streamer-banned-for-calling-white-peop-1848213042Let me ask you a question: how come you only pop up to whine about minorities, being particularly obsessed with transgender women?
I dont only pop up for that, but good on them for being consistent! Too many worthless assholes say you cant be racist against whites. Good for them.
Anti white racism is serious! It’s the reason we only have 81 percent of CEO chairs and have only had all of the presidencies except two terms. That’s a major issue that should be brought up every time transphobia is mentioned because in the end it’s ALL ABOUT US.
Son: this road? Don’t go down it. Next time you respond: do it without lies and strawmen.
Hey now, I was white genocided just this morning, on my way to the gym! Some lady cut me off in traffic!They’re the same thing, right? RIGHT!?
That sucks. Bitch should have swerved right into you. Take out two dumbfucks at once.
Son: this road? Don’t go down it. SHIT, man. Gauntlet THROWN. 😀
well this particular instance isn’t about something ‘people’ said either way.
I’d argue making fun of white people and making fun of LGBT people aren’t really comparable in the first place.
Of course, but we both know he’d never acknowledge this.
You would be correct, but bear in mind, you’re dealing with an idiot.
It’s because he’s a pointless troll that SOMEHOW keeps getting out of the greys, which never would have happened before Kinja.
He and Bobby Peru just say extremely hateful things and some idiot inevitably stars their comment and ungreys them.
Difference is Mr Rockwell is a sensible dude while Knobby Peru is just a dumbfuck Bernie Bro
Yep. Kinja was Nick Denton’s “greatest” “innovation:” a 100% troll-friendly platform.
Rememba when Dick Denton got his butthole ripped by Hogan and Thiel? Legendary
Let’s hope so.
If that bit had ended with something like, “It’s not my usual type of material but my career needs a boost” then it could be a legit takedown of bigoted comedians and what happens to them. Just needed a capper.
“It doesn’t look like anything to me.”-Dave Chapelle
I’m not sure I get the joke, Chappelle is a Westworld robot?
Could an AI be doing a riff on this Kids in the Hall bit?
That was so rough, the guy on the left had to move to America and run a radio station.
Sorry, but adjusting the mores of this era has flummoxed probably more than half of all real-world people, let alone some machine trying to pretend to be a person.
So it did a spot on Jerry Seinfeld impression.
https://www.mic.com/articles/122054/watch-jerry-seinfeld-make-transgender-jokes-in-comedians-in-cars-getting-coffee
Yeah, that’s EXACTLY the fucking same.
This is just really lame wordplay though??? I don’t even understand how you could twist that to be transphobic.
I was gonna say. You feed 90’s tv into an AI to train it, you’re going to get some homophobic and transphobic stuff…
irony: the (assumedly human) mods of twitch lack the nuance of the AI making the joke
NOT irony : transphobic AVClub commenter thinks anti-trans comments are “nuance” in a joke.
2 week ban is too long for what was an obvious mistake (and it was a first offense). The show is normally pretty wholesome, even with the occasional existential horror
Careful, everyone. Do. Not. Offend. This is where we are now. Everything is off limits. You. Will. Be. Branded. And. Canceled. You disgusting homophobe. You vile transphobe. Jokes are over. Even considering jokes is over. As you get used to this brave, new world, do your best to prepare yourself for President Ron DeSantis, a nightmare in the making, because of shit like this. He’s going to use every absurdity pushed by political correctness to get just enough independents, swing voters and no party voters over to his agenda.You could chill the fuck out and give him nothing to work with. But you won’t.
While a charitable reading…Since when has that been a possibility on this site?
You cut off the beginning of the joke which provides crucial context. He starts by saying “there’s like 50 people here, and no one is laughing.” He then proceeds to escalate into the statements above – the point being that no one is laughing, so he’s joking that he’ll just go into even more ridiculous territory (that no one will laugh at then).
Next on “Somehow this isn’t an Onion article”…
I, for one, do not welcome our new, transphobic robot overlords.
Listen, when I put my brain into a robot body; you can live in my head and control my body via gerbil-sized controls. Deal?
Only if there is a wheel. I like to run.
Once I’m outta there you can turn it into any rumpus room you see fit.
Are we SURE this wasn’t just an interview with Jerry?
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
hey eat a bullet or two
You expect these kinds of attempts at shock humor from Kakler, but not Larry.
1. Enjoy a show about nothing2. Build an AI which generates content that is not and cannot be, innately, “about” anything
3. Have your AI to make content about nothing that is modeled broadly on the show about nothing4. Get banned for the fact that if you squint there’s the possibly of inferring a particular meaning from the output
Is there an AI Kenny Bania? I like jokes you don’t have to think too much about
AI Dom Irrera?
Hey he doesn’t do bits. He’s a prop comic
Oh no not the trannies!