How comedians plan to turn the tables on AI scraping their material
Stealing someone else's joke is one of the highest crimes in comedy. With new AI tools like ChatGPT, some comedians are now worried about getting ripped off.
After comedian Sarah Silverman joined a lawsuit against OpenAI and Meta for allegedly using her content to train their bots without permission, one comic told Fox News ChatGPT artificial intelligence does not pose a threat to him.
"In terms of how ChatGPT affects comedy, yes, I think we're going to enter the golden age of in-print comedians, meaning people who can type things on the internet," said Jimmy Failla, comedian and host of "Fox Across America" on Fox News Radio and Fox Nation.
"But where true performers and people with actual charisma and comedic wherewithal will always flourish is no one's going to show up to a comedy club and buy a two-drink minimum to stare at a laptop, typing out words, or even saying those words through some Bluetooth audio," he continued. "So I don't necessarily feel threatened by it."
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Silverman and authors Christopher Golden and Richard Kadrey allege that OpenAI and Meta developed their artificial intelligence models using their books without authorization or consent from the writers.
The lawsuits seek monetary damages on behalf of a nationwide class of copyright owners whose works were allegedly infringed.
"What Sarah Silverman is doing is actually good," Failla said. "Hopefully what'll happen is, as ChatGPT is further incorporated into everyday life, it'll be subjected to more regulation and it'll be easier to apply oversight to whether or not they're actually ripping us off."
The lawsuit alleges Sarah Silverman's book "The Bedwetter" was used to train Meta's and OpenAI's machines. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images)
AI chatbots are "ganking" artists' "street cred" and original material, Failla said, but that has always happened in the industry, and comics still have an edge over AI.
"At the end of the day it's called performing arts because you've got to perform," the comedian said. "It's called stand-up comedy because you've got to stand up."
It is not just the comedy community calling out their concerns; writers and actors are also up in arms over the use of artificial intelligence in generating content.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, a union that represents nearly 160,000 television and film actors, announced today they failed to agree on contract negotiations with studios and streaming services and recommended their members strike. Their concerns are similar to the Writers Guild of America, the union representing screenwriters, whose members have been on strike for months.
Sarah Silverman is seen at a Writers Guild of America strike on June 12, 2023 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Hollywood To You/Star Max/GC Images)
Writers and actors are concerned about the unregulated use of artificial intelligence in their industries as the technology is seen as a competitor to their jobs, as well as concerns over pay.
Approximately 27% of jobs are at high risk of automation, according to a new report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
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"People laugh at the jokes from humans because they can feel the humanity in them," Failla said. "There is a shared truth."
"I can promise you the artificial intelligence comic isn't going to have that shared experience," he continued.
To watch the full interview with Failla, click here.
Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
