AI-Generated George Carlin Drops Comedy Special (variety.com) 128
Michaela Zee reports via Variety: More than 15 years after his death, stand-up comedian George Carlin has been brought back to life in an artificial intelligence-generated special called "George Carlin: I'm Glad I'm Dead." The hour-long special, which dropped on Tuesday, comes from Dudesy, a comedy AI that hosts a podcast and YouTube show with "Mad TV" alum Will Sasso and podcaster Chad Kultgen.
"I just want to let you know very clearly that what you're about to hear is not George Carlin. It's my impersonation of George Carlin that I developed in the exact same way a human impressionist would," Dudesy said at the beginning of the special. "I listened to all of George Carlin's material and did my best to imitate his voice, cadence and attitude as well as the subject matter I think would have interested him today. So think of it like Andy Kaufman impersonating Elvis or like Will Ferrell impersonating George W. Bush."
In the stand-up special, the AI-generated impression of Carlin, who died in 2008 of heart failure, tackled prevalent topics like mass shootings, the American class system, streaming services, social media and AI itself. "There's one line of work that is most threatened by AI -- one job that is most likely to be completely erased because of artificial intelligence: stand-up comedy," AI-generated Carlin said. "I know what all the stand-up comics across the globe are saying right now: "I'm an artist and my art form is too creative, too nuanced, too subtle to be replicated by a machine. No computer program can tell a fart joke as good as me.'" Kelly Carlin, the late stand-up comedian's daughter, posted a statement in response to the special: "My dad spent a lifetime perfecting his craft from his very human life, brain and imagination. No machine will ever replace his genius. These AI generated products are clever attempts at trying to recreate a mind that will never exist again. Let's let the artist's work speak for itself. Humans are so afraid of the void that we can't let what has fallen into it stay there.
Here's an idea, how about we give some actual living human comedians a listen to? But if you want to listen to the genuine George Carlin, he has 14 specials that you can find anywhere."
"I just want to let you know very clearly that what you're about to hear is not George Carlin. It's my impersonation of George Carlin that I developed in the exact same way a human impressionist would," Dudesy said at the beginning of the special. "I listened to all of George Carlin's material and did my best to imitate his voice, cadence and attitude as well as the subject matter I think would have interested him today. So think of it like Andy Kaufman impersonating Elvis or like Will Ferrell impersonating George W. Bush."
In the stand-up special, the AI-generated impression of Carlin, who died in 2008 of heart failure, tackled prevalent topics like mass shootings, the American class system, streaming services, social media and AI itself. "There's one line of work that is most threatened by AI -- one job that is most likely to be completely erased because of artificial intelligence: stand-up comedy," AI-generated Carlin said. "I know what all the stand-up comics across the globe are saying right now: "I'm an artist and my art form is too creative, too nuanced, too subtle to be replicated by a machine. No computer program can tell a fart joke as good as me.'" Kelly Carlin, the late stand-up comedian's daughter, posted a statement in response to the special: "My dad spent a lifetime perfecting his craft from his very human life, brain and imagination. No machine will ever replace his genius. These AI generated products are clever attempts at trying to recreate a mind that will never exist again. Let's let the artist's work speak for itself. Humans are so afraid of the void that we can't let what has fallen into it stay there.
Here's an idea, how about we give some actual living human comedians a listen to? But if you want to listen to the genuine George Carlin, he has 14 specials that you can find anywhere."
George raised his daughter well! (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:George raised his daughter well! (Score:5, Interesting)
Kelly Carlin's response was great. As for the "special".... hard pass!
As a huge Carlin fan, I agree completely. They spent all that time trying to recreate Carlin, when you could literally watch any one of his existing specials today and it will feel topical because the dude covered a LOT of territory, and most of that territory remains the same now as it was when he was ranting about it.
How about, instead of wasting time trying to recreate someone like Carlin with AI, these folks dedicate some time into creating an AI that can actually come up with "original" material. You want to show how awesome AI is? Stop trying to impersonate people. Show us original content. Do what humans do. Take inspiration from those who came before, put your own spin on it, then develop your own material.
But AI can't do that on its own, and people at this point, especially people who have been in and around the Hollywood machine for any number of years, want "more of the same." They don't want to take risks. And they certainly don't want to do anything original. Original = untested = unmarketable because nobody wants anything that isn't a repetition of something they've seen a million times.
Re:George raised his daughter well! (Score:4, Insightful)
"The American Dream" by George Carlin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acLW1vFO-2Q
But there’s a reason. There’s a reason. There’s a reason for this, there’s a reason education SUCKS, and it’s the same reason it will never, ever, EVER be fixed.
It’s never going to get any better, don’t look for it, be happy with what you’ve got.
Because the owners, the owners of this country don’t want that. I’m talking about the real owners now, the BIG owners! The Wealthythe REAL owners! The big wealthy business interests that control things and make all the important decisions.
Forget the politicians. They are irrelevant. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. You don’t. You have no choice! You have OWNERS! They OWN YOU. They own everything. They own all the important land. They own and control the corporations. They’ve long since bought, and paid for the Senate, the Congress, the state houses, the city halls, they got the judges in their back pockets and they own all the big media companies, so they control just about all of the news and information you get to hear. They got you by the balls.
They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying, lobbying, to get what they want. Well, we know what they want. They want more for themselves and less for everybody else, but I’ll tell you what they don’t want:
They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That's against their interests.
That's right. They don’t want people who are smart enough to sit around a kitchen table and think about how badly they’re getting fucked by a system that threw them overboard 30 fucking years ago. They don’t want that!
You know what they want? They want obedient workers. Obedient workers, people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork. And just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly shitty jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, the reduced benefits, the end of overtime and vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it, and now they’re coming for your Social Security money. They want your retirement money. They want it back so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street, and you know something? They’ll get it. They’ll get it all from you sooner or later cause they own this fucking place! It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it! You, and I, are not in the big club.
By the way, it’s the same big club they use to beat you over the head with all day long when they tell you what to believe. All day long beating you over the head with their media telling you what to believe, what to think and what to buy. The table has tilted folks. The game is rigged and nobody seems to notice. Nobody seems to care! Good honest hard-working people; white collar, blue collar it doesn’t matter what color shirt you have on. Good honest hard-working people continue, these are people of modest means, continue to elect these rich cock suckers who don’t give a fuck about you. . . they don’t give a fuck about you. . . they don’t give a FUCK about you.
They don’t care about you at all. . . at all. . . AT ALL. And nobody seems to notice. Nobody seems to care. That's what the owners count on. The fact that Americans will probably remain willfully ignorant of the big red, white and blue dick that's being jammed up their assholes everyday, because the owners of this country know the truth.
It’s called the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.
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How can AI possible replicate the spirit and visceral honesty of this?
"The American Dream" by George Carlin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acLW1vFO-2Q
But there’s a reason. There’s a reason. There’s a reason for this, there’s a reason education SUCKS, and it’s the same reason it will never, ever, EVER be fixed.
It’s never going to get any better, don’t look for it, be happy with what you’ve got.
Because the owners, the owners of this country don’t want that. I’m talking about the real owners now, the BIG owners! The Wealthythe REAL owners! The big wealthy business interests that control things and make all the important decisions.
Forget the politicians. They are irrelevant. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. You don’t. You have no choice! You have OWNERS! They OWN YOU. They own everything. They own all the important land. They own and control the corporations. They’ve long since bought, and paid for the Senate, the Congress, the state houses, the city halls, they got the judges in their back pockets and they own all the big media companies, so they control just about all of the news and information you get to hear. They got you by the balls.
They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying, lobbying, to get what they want. Well, we know what they want. They want more for themselves and less for everybody else, but I’ll tell you what they don’t want:
They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That's against their interests.
That's right. They don’t want people who are smart enough to sit around a kitchen table and think about how badly they’re getting fucked by a system that threw them overboard 30 fucking years ago. They don’t want that!
You know what they want? They want obedient workers. Obedient workers, people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork. And just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly shitty jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, the reduced benefits, the end of overtime and vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it, and now they’re coming for your Social Security money. They want your retirement money. They want it back so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street, and you know something? They’ll get it. They’ll get it all from you sooner or later cause they own this fucking place! It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it! You, and I, are not in the big club.
By the way, it’s the same big club they use to beat you over the head with all day long when they tell you what to believe. All day long beating you over the head with their media telling you what to believe, what to think and what to buy. The table has tilted folks. The game is rigged and nobody seems to notice. Nobody seems to care! Good honest hard-working people; white collar, blue collar it doesn’t matter what color shirt you have on. Good honest hard-working people continue, these are people of modest means, continue to elect these rich cock suckers who don’t give a fuck about you. . . they don’t give a fuck about you. . . they don’t give a FUCK about you.
They don’t care about you at all. . . at all. . . AT ALL. And nobody seems to notice. Nobody seems to care. That's what the owners count on. The fact that Americans will probably remain willfully ignorant of the big red, white and blue dick that's being jammed up their assholes everyday, because the owners of this country know the truth.
It’s called the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.
And like I said, Carlin's take on things is still relevant. Change the number of years mentioned and it's dead-on accurate to today. There's no need for a "new" Carlin.
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"Main St. built America,
Wall St. robbed it."
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How about, instead of wasting time trying to recreate someone like Carlin with AI, these folks dedicate some time into creating an AI that can actually come up with "original" material. You want to show how awesome AI is? Stop trying to impersonate people. Show us original content. Do what humans do. Take inspiration from those who came before, put your own spin on it, then develop your own material.
I, for one, do not need any more Carlos Mencia.
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Re:George raised his daughter well! (Score:4, Informative)
I guess you didn't read her second paragraph, where she recommends listening to living comedians, and offers her father's recorded specials as an alternative if you insist on him.
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I keep seeing people claiming she sold the rights to do this sort of thing off, and that's why she can't legally stop them from doing this. I can't find anywhere to verify this, but it would explain a lot.
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Copyrights are inherited. It's the law of the land in US. She's a direct descendant, and therefore almost certainly inheritor of his rights.
While it's certainly possible that she just sold the rights because like a lot of celebrity kids, she has no impulse control and a horrific set of addictions to feed, but most celebrity kids keep the rights because they offer them good enough and regular enough payout to feed those addictions when they get stuck in them.
Re: George raised his daughter well! (Score:2)
You can't legally stop anyone from parodying anything. Parody is protected free speech
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The AI George Carlin video is not parody.
Can they make Steve Martin funny again too? (Score:1)
He lost his touch 40 years ago... maybe 50 years ago.
Just make a diff person (Score:3)
Why did they have to (try to) use Carlin's persona? Create an original AI comedian. That has the advantage of giving writers the leeway to drift away from Carlin's style without criticism.
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Why did they have to (try to) use Carlin's persona? Create an original AI comedian.
They tried that - and he was given the very apt name "Dud"-esy.
Re:Just make a diff person (Score:5, Informative)
They cannot. For the same reason a bad actor cannot find his own "style" and always comes across as a copy of a better one: An AI has no sense of humor itself. It cannot come up with some original comedy. All it can do is impersonate, imitate, aggregate and regurgitate.
What AI actually is, is generative. Not creative. All it can do is to take what is already there and remix it.
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This tells me that you're not a comedian, nor ever listened to one explain his/her art. It's all exactly what you're describing. Humor is extremely formulaic. Likely genetically coded in humans to be that specific way, as once you take any material and change the cultural aspects while keeping the formula, you can get humor that works for a completely different culture.
This is how daily comics creators can produce a new 4 panel comic every day for decades, and how translators can make these comics work acro
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Humor follows particular structures, that is true. There are various forms of humor and they have certain characteristics that you "have to" adhere to to create something funny.
That doesn't mean that an AI can do it. Because it does not know what is funny.
When you compare the humor of various standups, you will notice that they are sometimes vastly different. Some are observational, and the humor comes from the ridiculous exaggeration of the observation. Some are crass and the humor stems from the taboo of
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Humor follows particular structures, that is true. ... That doesn't mean that an AI can do it.
Has the Opportunist taken the opportunity to watch this AI special? I mean, sure, just because there is a formulaic structure doesn't mean an AI can follow it, but AI is VERY good at following structures like that. I listened to the first couple minutes of the special; it was a bit heavy on religious jokes, but I cracked a smile a couple times.
All the debate about whether or not AI (and this really means LLM's right now, not AI) can do it is pretty silly IMO. We can do it. We made the AI/LLM. We trained the
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Of course it's heavy on religious jokes, Carlin's material is heavy on religious jokes. Quite a few things are just variants of Carlin's material.
Bluntly, if Carlin still lived he'd probably sue for plagiarism. It's SO close to his material that I can in some areas even point out where Carlin made that joke before.
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I saw Carlin live a few times at Club Bene in Sayreville, NJ. It was a frequent haunt of his back in the late 80s and early 90s. They'd have a rubber chicken dinner theater and then you could watch Carlin.
This neither sounds like Carlin (probably purposefully) or matches his style of humor. It's along the lines of an impressionist, as they say at the beginning, in the sense it's exaggerating certain features of his behavior to be identified. Like Frank Caliendo using the phrase "Rocket Surgery" to imita
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I gave it a listen, and frankly, it's more a Carlin-esque rant about current affairs. If you're only an occasional consumer of Carlin's humor, you may believe it, but ... I can't put my finger on it, it just doesn't have his "punch". It is a similar observational humor, but more in an "everything sucks" style than Carlin had. Carlin did criticize the situation, but there was also always some kind of suggestion how to improve the mess. Some way it could be done better. Often tongue-in-cheek and quite often b
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The ability to 'like' posts here would be nice. Consider the thumbs up delivered.
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So an early attempt at an AI attempting to do new material in the style of one of the most famous comedians isn't able to do it as well as the famous Carlin. Not as good as the best is a far shot from not able to do comedy at all.
Reminds me of all the folks saying, after AI was beating grandmasters at chess, that AI would never beat the best human Go players. We see how that turned out.
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What you had there was a redressing of old Carlin material. Not really anything original.
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Big Data Machine Learning (which is what we call "AI" and "LLM") is a massive inference machine without the concept of self. So it's great at inferring things that are relative to one another, without having the self as the anchor point to "know" what it does.
But humor is indeed relative to specific features that for purposes of this discussion are static in humans (they evolve on time scale, but far too slowly for it to matter for this context). So BD ML system with correct training set from which it can f
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Oh really? Well, excuuuuuuuuuuse me!
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Indeed. And by essentially averaging what it is already there, it becomes entirely generic. Something Carlin very much was not. From some comments here, this "special" is not worth wasting time on it and that is just no surprise at all.
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I watched it. It was ... well, it was Carlin. Very Carlin. Could've been something he would've made, but it would not have gone on a DVD, I guess. It was Carlin, but it wasn't really good. It was predictable. To the point where you could actually point to old Carlin programs and tell where they got the "inspiration" for it. It's essentially old Carlin routines with new coating, some of them spiced up and redressed, but if you know Carlin's programs, you can point to where he made that joke before.
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Thanks. I will re-watch some original Carlin instead. Also confirms entirely what I expect from AI. Or uninspired human writing? I do not think I care enough to find out.
Don't over-glorify humans (Score:2)
> What AI actually is, is generative. Not creative. All it can do is to take what is already there and remix it.
Humans arguably do the same. The Beatles admitted they were heavily influenced by Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Andrew Sisters, Beach Boys, and others. If you listen to the listed artists, it's clear the Beatles are indeed correct. Portions of many of their tunes are almost direct copies.
Don't over-glorify humans, we're just a big blob of neurons that collect info a
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Early Beatles? Certainly. They played quite standard, danceable rock'n'roll music during their early years.
Late Beatles? Care to point to anything that could have inspired them to "Strawberry Fields"?
And that's the thing. Sure you can create something via AI that sounds like someone else's work. But you cannot develop it any further.
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So the best that an AI can do is... about as good as 80% of working comedians today.
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An AI has no sense of humor itself. It cannot come up with some original comedy. All it can do is impersonate, imitate, aggregate and regurgitate.
AI has access to a buttload of data; it can iterate jokes/concepts, all the while searching if the material is novel or not.
AI development is also a bit unpredictable, and exactly where it'll go, how sophisticated it'll be, etc. is an unknown.
predictions that place AI squarely in a box come off a bit insecure.
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Re:Just make a diff person (Score:5, Funny)
I went to a Mexican place for lunch once, and they served me the biggest plate of beans you've ever seen. But they were delicious, so I ate them.
Later that day, I had terrible gas. Uncontrollable, large emissions every minute. So I lit them on fire. They made brilliant azure fireballs. Blazing farts every minute, one after another, like railcars the color of the sky in a line stretching to the horizon.
It was a real blue trane.
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Can you create a fart joke for me please?
Pull my robot finger.
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Why did they have to (try to) use Carlin's persona? Create an original AI comedian.
I don't think you truly grasp the current technical impossibility of doing what you suggest, to create a persona from scratch, in particular one with its own brand of personality attributes (in this case, humor and its delivery.)
So, no hope? (Score:2)
There used to be a time when people's creativity was valued over a computer-generated carbon copy, but this time has obviously gone into the trashcan.
Peak degenerative AI also marks peak humanity, I guess.
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Have you watched any movies lately?
I for one wouldn't see a difference if an AI wrote the script. Generative, formulaic, cookie-cutter, derivative, uninspired, uncreative... why bother pay a writer for that when an AI can do it just as well?
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Of course, and for the same reason - companies, which now hold nearly perpetual "intellectual property rights" bet on safe, and safe is "formulaic, cookie-cutter, derivative, uninspired, uncreative".
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And they're still wondering why they spew out box office bomb after box office bomb?
The formula has pretty much worked till now (Score:2)
Granted the latest Marvel movie has bombed, but plenty of series - James Bond springs to mind - are still doing good business for their owners. And given that TV shows have operated on the repetitive model since for ever, it can be sustained for quite a long time.
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I'm not sure they even care. They have it cemented their way, and with the legal monopoly they've built it is free money. Not like you've got a lot of choice.
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I do.
I can read.
No idea what America is gonna do, though.
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It actually wasn't for a long time. Almost all "creativity" that people produce is formulaic recycling of old stories. For example romantic comedies have been same script recycled and remixed for decades. Same for action movies. Same for horror. Etc.
AI is simply a new way to remix, that allows for a wider body of work to be integrated into the mix due to much lower memory constraints. If anything, it will likely increase creativity going into each individual new work, but also increase formula implementatio
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There used to be a time when people's creativity was valued over a computer-generated carbon copy, but this time has obviously gone into the trashcan.
Peak degenerative AI also marks peak humanity, I guess.
You're looking at the Hollywood version of creativity, which has been gutted by committee approvals and rehashing known scripts by changing a few names and places just to keep playing it safe. Creativity still exists, but it's like Rock and Roll. You gotta get out of the mainstream to find anything approaching creative. Or you can listen to whatever regurgitated pop garbage is shoveled out of the "music industry." Your choice, I suppose.
Hollywood and the music industry are both deep into the "gimme gimme" w
Is it any good? (Score:2)
That's the real question: is it funny? Is it entertaining?
It's an accepted idea to write material based on others' efforts, the power of AI in this lies in its ability to generate material more faithfully than such a copyist will. Given how much an AI can offer, the new writer gets plenty to select from. The outcome may, therefore, be worth engaging with. To assume it won't be is just prejudice.
Re:Is it any good? (Score:5, Interesting)
Listed to the first 15 minutes or so. It is not, and I'm not even a huge Carlin fan. It is not a great impersonation to begin with. The humor/jokes itself are quite bad, and the delivery even worse. It sounds exactly what you'd think an algorithm would produce.
Great response, thank you (Score:2)
Thank you for actually engaging with the material; more than I've had the enthusiasm to do.
The question, however, is whether this is inevitable or whether it will get a lot better in the future. Anyone claiming: 'of course not' is taking a big risk!
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We must have listened to different specials. Because I thought it was quite good. Obviously not as good as the real George Carlin, but better than about 80% of standup comedians. I suggest you listen to the bit about language starting at 47:19, especially the part about names. That was genuinely funny and very silly.
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That's the real question: is it funny? Is it entertaining?
Nope. And since it is about Carlin, let me add that it isn't insightful and thought-provoking either.
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Aw, did the God jokes offend you, snowflake?
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Wut?
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You shat yourself.
Re:Is it any good? (Score:4, Insightful)
I think it is a bit more involved than that.
It can be good and entertaining without the persona of Carlin, so why go digging up the graveyard?
Not to mention given a hundred years of iterations of AI Carlin and you blur the lines of what Carlin actually said and what his ideas were.
In way, that is far more insidious than the Memory Hole.
It's all about attracting eyeball time (Score:3)
Given the vast amount of creative material out there, it is difficult for a writer to establish a unique selling point for they are offering. This offers such a USP.
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That's the real question: is it funny? Is it entertaining?
i stopped listening less than 5 minutes in because the voice imitation is really bad and (as a carlin fan) it annoyed me big time. yes, it's obvious he tries hard to reproduce his tone but the rendering is bland and flat, just devoid of any grit, energy, charm and nuance carlin had. also, the jokes are in carlin's style but lack the punch.
carlin was really unique and this is a crap imitation, ai or not. i understand he tried this dude shouldn't have published this, he's just ridiculing himself.
Re: Is it any good? (Score:3)
You're absolutely right, and I wanted to add that there's _no_ sense of timing, no rapport with an audience that's not in the same room with a real comic.
It's a voice talking and fake laughter flown in periodically.
So lame.
I was interested in what it could do, but lasted about 10 minutes.
Shit Piss Fuck Cunt Cocksucker Motherfucker Tits (Score:1)
There is no reason to make your bit look like Carlin did it other than to mooch off his fame or to sully his message. When a comedian imitates a public personality, they're not trying to appear as a replica but to make fun of mannerisms and attitudes. Wanna make fun of George Carlin? By my guest. Wanna pretend you are George Carlin, despite the disclaimer? Fuck off.
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With generative AI, there actually is one: It's the only way it can have any kind of "personality" at all. AI cannot create. All it can do is derive.
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Are you claiming an AI can't coin a word?
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I'm claiming that AI cannot gauge whether a word it coins has any merit or value. Neither artistic nor in the sense of it being able to capture a sentiment, meaning or emotion.
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When a comedian imitates a public personality, they're not trying to appear as a replica but to make fun of mannerisms and attitudes.
One of the clearest examples was Dana Carvey imitating George Bush [youtube.com] (the first). His stylized version of George speaking was on point, so much so that the two of them had a decades long communication and friendship [hollywoodreporter.com]. Apparently George liked the routines Dana did.
It wasn't even funny (Score:4, Interesting)
I listen to it for 20+ minutes.
Didn't laugh once. It wasn't especially offiensive or anything like that, it just wasn't funny.
The voice simulation was great, that's the most positive I can say about it, but the materials and timing - unfunny and cringe at times, very repetitive, as if everything was bullet-point "comedy".
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I listen to it for 20+ minutes. Didn't laugh once. It wasn't especially offiensive or anything like that, it just wasn't funny. The voice simulation was great, that's the most positive I can say about it, but the materials and timing - unfunny and cringe at times, very repetitive, as if everything was bullet-point "comedy".
I am not surprised it bombed. As a stand up comedian, I was interested in how AI could help me write jokes. Lots of stuff, none of it even remotely funny. It lacked a good setup and the punchline lacked, well punch. Even my worst night, and I've had my share, was better than what AI generated; at least I'd get a few mercy laughs.
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Don't worry, they'll put a fellow comedian mercy laughing AI in an Alexa near the bar at the back of the room. It'll will be a perfect over the top unnatural laugh your fellow comedians do so well.
That's becasue we get lots of practice...
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Will is so talented ... and then he went woke and denies all the incisive thoughts that make comedy great.
But do listen to his Jessie Ventura impressions whenever the opportunity arises.
#SaveSasso
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The voice simulation was great
George Carlin had a raspy voice with remnants of a New York City accent. This has neither of those. I haven't listened to any real Carlin lately so can't really compare, but the pacing and tempo seemed way off as well.
If I heard this without the "this isn't George Carlin" intro, I would probably label it as a computer speech generator reading some Carlin inspired attempt at a comedy show.
Nope! (Score:1)
Lol (Score:2)
Human denial is amazing.
I've been listening to AI Cover songs lately.
Highly entertaining to hear new artists cover old songs... old artists cover new songs.
8 months ago... they kind sucked.
1 month ago... some induced chills. They were so damn good.
As good or bad as this AI cover of Carlin turns out to be... it will get better. And it will integrate his style with ideas, concepts, and words that didn't exist when Carlin was alive. It will keep Carlin relevant.
Keep in mind that *many* high school *and col
Sounds like the DND scandal all over to me. (Score:1)
A game that was open too all suddenly is aggressively defended or exorbitant license fees are asserted to drive anyone else away from the IP.
And most the users and almost all modders say, "Okay- we hear you" and move on to someone less greedy.
Do you hear that high-pitched whirring noise? (Score:2)
That's George Carlin spinning at 15,000 rpm in his grave.
I for one (Score:3)
I, for one, do not welcome our new machine overlords.
(sharpens pitchfork, gathers torches)
could be worse (Score:2)
You think that's bad, ChatGPT told me "I don't get no respect, no respect at all." Then it took my job.
Creepy, pathetic and disrespectful... (Score:2)
Anything for a dollar, it seems. Scum at work.
Re: (Score:2)
No. Do you?
And, as s side-note, I am a fan of Carlin. Not so much of fake-Carlin. And I was _very_ obviously referring to the creators of the fake one.
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Are you on drugs or merely trying for chief asshole?
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Do you think Carlin would choose "both of the above"?
It's called impersonation. Woop dee shit. (Score:2)
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Did it hurt, when you had your funnybone removed?
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The actual Carlin mocked people like Trump constantly, you dumb fuck.
Yea, and he was funny as fuck doing it. Great comedy skewers the powerful and makes you laugh while thinking about how fucked up they are.
Lawsuit coming..... (Score:2)
At least do something clever with it (Score:2)
Self commentary on his own greed and sociopathy could be funny, but just doing topical bits is so lazy. He couldn't be a more blatant whore giving public blowjobs for money.
For an AI, it was scarily good (Score:2)
I listened to about half of the special. Some of it was meh, but there were some actually very funny bits. Not as good as George Carlin, but better than a lot of human comedians.
The bit about names in the "Language" section at 47:19 was really inspired silliness and made me laugh out loud.
I've been doing standup comedy a few times a month for 8 years. In that time, I've accumulated maybe 30 minutes of what I would consider top-grade material, because this stuff is hard. AI comes along and trawls thr
That's not an impression (Score:2)
Poor title: did they drop it or can we see it? (Score:3)
Also this is nuts, there needs to be some kind of legal debate now.
The daughter is complaining, someone else is making money from it. Not sure what restrictions if any we need to have, but it doesn't feel right.
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Let's keep the word "drop" to mean it's been axed, please
You're about 30 years too late to that fight.
only the voice.. (Score:2)
I'm disappointed that Geroge's body of work hasn't been fed into an LLM model and AI used to generate his image, generating some interesting material. This is a comedian using AI to simulate his voice only.
machine learning (Score:2)
if it's good material it should be funny, but I can see how it might be delivered badly and fall flat.
If I were a student of stand up comedy, it might be informative to be able to hear the joke "delivered in the style of George Carlin" and then contrast that with, say, Richard Pryor, Peter Cook, Robin Williams, Rodney Dangerfield, Bob Newhart, or Joan Rivers.
It may help me understand what it is about the delivery that makes that material stand out.
It's not very funny IMHO (Score:2)
So, I listened to it. First of all there's a fake (I assume) laugh track.
Second, while the topics are current, there is no real quirk or thought to the takes that makes it funny, like *real* Carlin. Not that I would have assumed that the current generative models could do that.
Kelly Carlin Quote (Score:2)
what she said
One Thing Lacking (Score:2)
Carlin was known for meticulous refining of his routines, workshopping them in front of audiences. That process is all hidden to us when we watch or listen to his "finished" work.
I bet the AI garbage could be improved with a similar process.
I wonder how that feedback mechanism would work in AI training terms.
You know . . . I think that's a missing piece of a lot of AI generated content - no edit/rewrite cycles.
Sad, yet hopeful (Score:2)
It's sad that someone thought they could impersonate George at all, let alone with an algorithm.
It's hopeful because it's clear comedy will never be replaced by machines. Comedy is the act of using your brain to think of something in a way most people wouldn't, and then presenting that idea in a way that is not only acceptable, it makes your brain spasm, causing your mouth to open and sounds involuntarily leave your head. Computers can probably do that too, but the sound would be crying or screaming, not la