AI-generated Seinfeld parody show banned from Twitch for transphobic stand-up
Nothing, Forever, a parody version of the popular show Seinfeld, created by artificial intelligence that endlessly generates text and pixelated graphics, has been banned from Twitch for 14 days after Jerry Seinfeld clone Larry Feinberg made transphobic remarks during an episode of the stand-up show.
“Hey everybody. Here’s the latest: we received a 14-day suspension due to what Larry Feinberg said tonight during a club bit,” said Xander, co-creator of Nothing Forever. “We’ve appealed the ban, and we’ll let you know as we know more on what Twitch decides. Regardless of the outcome of the appeal, we’ll be back and will spend the time working to ensure to the best of our abilities that nothing like that happens again.”
Trained on classic sitcom episodes and various AI tools, the show’s AI mimics a traditional Seinfeld episode that begins with stand-up comic Larry. During a stand-up set, Larry made a number of transphobic and homophobic statements:
“So, this is my stand-up set at a club. There’s, like, 50 people here and no one is laughing. Anyone have any suggestions? I’m 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, but no one is laughing.”
This incident is emblematic of most AI-based text generators: when neural networks are trained on biased or hateful content, the results can often be relevant. This has given rise to the field of AI security, which develops tools to reduce the biases built into models. That’s why ChatGPT usually doesn’t make overtly racist, sexist, or transphobic remarks when simply asked. As it became known recently, a lot of artificial intelligence tools are moderated by low-paid workers from developing countries.