AI programs have been in the news a lot lately, whether it’s because of the fear they will replace the work of creatives or that there is a whole service dedicated to talking to historical figures using ChatGPT. However, the more you mess around with them, the more you realize how far AI still has to go. There is no better example of this than the current AI-generated Seinfeld show that goes on forever.
The channel, called watchmeforever, uses AI to write, voice, and animate an infinite version of the classic 90s TV show. The show largely takes place in three different rooms representing two of the apartments from the show and the comedy club that Jerry is seen at as cold opens in the show. As with past AI creations, it often falls into shambles pretty quickly, and much of what happens ranges from being kind of funny to off-the-wall strange.
Much of it is typical stuff you’ve heard from AI chatbots before. It’s the same as those videos where someone will put two AI together and record their conversations. They sometimes have decent back and forth, but it also kind of rambles at times which gives the practice an uneasy vibe. What’s even worse is when the character models on the sets behave erratically during long periods of silence.
Users have begun to post clips across Twitter showing various moments from the stream, including the one below where Larry (Jerry), Yvonne (Elaine), and Fred (George) seemingly become self-aware and a little nihilistic at times. Luckily, Larry comes in at the end with some hope before very slowly reclining in a chair as the scene ends.
Another example of Larry providing hope is when it appears Fred is spiraling into an existential crisis while staring at the fridge. He ponders whether there is something after life or if that’s the end of it. Larry provides a short monologue about what’s possible and the hope humans hold for something bigger. It almost feels genuine and inspiring, even if it’s something that’s a bit of a cliche.
It would honestly really be inspiring if Fred wasn’t doing the weirdest thing possible in the background right before Larry starts vibrating at a high frequency.
The AI is also making some jokes that might be viewed as risky because the AI doesn’t have the knowledge of what’s acceptable on Twitch. In the clip below, Larry calls his father a “fruit” because he ordered an orange juice, something the chat caught onto immediately. Larry’s mom then assures him “he’s not one, he just likes oranges.”
In another clip, Fred can be seen talking about someone he knows who doesn’t like fruit, to which Kakler (Kramer) replies that they may be a fruitophobe. The conversation doesn’t really reach a resolution as the characters all glitch into chairs and remain silent for a beat before the scene cuts out entirely.
The stream is planned to always be on, so that means that fans of the sitcom can get a weird recreation any time they want. There will likely be plenty of clips floating around on social media from this stream, especially if the AI can get to a point where it makes coherent episodes.
Published: Feb 2, 2023 01:46 pm