Can an AI comedian be funny?

Comedian Garrett Millerick made an AI copy of himself called G-Dog 2.0. He performed with his AI copy during the Festival Fringe in Edinburgh.

Words:

• Acrobatics are difficult and exciting movements that are used in (circus) performances.
• When something is gratifying it gives you a good or satisfied feeling.
• Know-how is a term for knowledge or skills, especially in a technical field.
• If something has lagged, it is slow or happening later than expected.
• Something is terrifying when it really scares you.
• You call something damp when it is slightly wet.
• If something is inevitable, it is impossible to avoid or prevent.
• If you are expressive, you show your feelings very clearly in your face and body. 
• Something is eye-opening if it teaches you something new in a surprising way. It often changes your perspective.

Video:

Warming up

1. This video is about a comedian, Garrett Millerick, who performs with an AI-version of himself. Do you think an AI comedian can be funnier than a human comedian?

2. The comedian in this video is performing at Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This is one of the biggest entertainment festivals in the UK. What do you expect to see at a festival like this?

Questions about the video

Watch until 01:58.

3. Garrett Millerick is putting his AI clone through a test. What is this test?

4. How did Garrett and his friend JD Marsters make the AI bot?

A: They spent 15 years asking the AI to write jokes for Garrett.

B: They asked rooms full of strangers what made them laugh.

C: They used 15 years’ worth of recordings from Garrett’s work to train the AI.

D: They took it to a specialist lab at a university in the United States.

Watch from 01:58 to the end of the video.

5. What about G-Dog 2.0 is ‘terrifying’ for JD Marsters?

6. How do audiences help shape Garrett’s show?

7. True or false: Garrett thinks G-Dog 2.0 is funnier than he is. Explain your answer.

8. The voice-over says there is a difference between telling a joke and ‘commanding a stage’. What do you think commanding a stage means?

Task

Option 1: Many people are afraid that AI will take over their jobs. Many writers, actors, musicians, artists and comedians are warning that AI could replace them. Would you enjoy books / films / music / art or comedy just as much if you knew it was made by AI? Write at least 100 words about your opinion on AI art.

Option 2: Look up the website of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Look back at the programme of this year’s festival. Which acts or shows would you want to see? Choose two and explain what you liked about them.

Van de makers van All Right!, Of Course! en Taalblokken Engels