AI and stand up comedy

“Why did the politician carry a ladder to the controversy? To ensure he might attain new heights together with his guarantees!”

Ask AI to jot down a political joke, and the above is an instance of what you will get.

Maybe not humorous sufficient to ship on stage in entrance of a paying viewers, however that doesn’t imply there isn’t any room for AI in comedy.

Comedians are more and more experimenting with the know-how to jot down scripts and brainstorm concepts, together with Anesti Danelis. Earlier this 12 months, the Canadian requested standard AI chatbot ChatGPT to jot down him a present.

The result’s what he has been performing all through this summer season, together with at this month’s Edinburgh Competition Fringe.

The BBC sat down with Anesti after his sixth efficiency in seven days on the Toronto Fringe Theatre Competition in July. He defined the writing course of behind his present “Artificially Clever”.

“I used to be taking part in round with ChatGPT, and the outcomes it gave me have been terribly hilarious, and I assumed ‘perhaps there is a present on this?’.”

Regardless of some garbage jokes, he says the device was helpful for brainstorming.

“I requested it to ‘write me 5 songs about bisexual dilemmas’, or ‘being an immigrant little one’, and it gave me concepts that I’d have by no means considered.”

What he wasn’t anticipating from AI was its understanding of easy methods to devise a present.

“I informed it to make me a working order, and it defined the place each tune ought to go and why, and it made complete sense. I used to be shocked by how a lot it might clarify the reasoning behind it.”

Regardless of utilizing the know-how to jot down chunks of the script, Anesti’s present very a lot depends on his supply. All through the efficiency the comic switches from a keyboard to a guitar to ship songs and monologues. There’s a number of interplay, together with a serenading of an viewers member, with a tune written about them by ChatGPT.

Reflecting on the expertise, Anesti says: “I discovered via the method that human creativity cannot be replicated or changed, and ultimately about 20% of the present was pure AI, and the opposite 80% was a combination.”

Thus far, he says, he has solely had good suggestions from viewers members, together with Olivia Smith and Bethany Radford, who each reside in Toronto.

Olivia admits she’s sceptical of AI, however loved seeing it performed with creatively.

“I feel I might really feel a bit cheated out of an expertise if your complete factor was written by know-how, however it was humorous seeing AI on stage as a result of it was artistic,” she says.

Bethany, who’s an actor, agrees, and says: “There’s a place for AI in creation and writing as long as it’s clear that it’s been a part of the method.”

A not too long ago launched examine from the College of Southern California discovered that AI-generated jokes outperform these crafted by human beings. Bethany, nevertheless, is just not so positive, and feels “people are fairly good at sniffing out AI”.

If she is watching one thing, she provides: “I really feel like I do know when the writing had no human concerned. However I am positive that may change because it will get smarter.”

Making audiences snigger is huge enterprise, and over the previous decade the stand-up comedy market within the US has almost tripled by way of the mixed worth of tickets offered. That’s in line with information from commerce publication Pollstar, which displays the reside efficiency sector. It says US comedy ticket gross sales hit $900m (£700m) in 2023, up from $371m in 2012.

In the meantime, a separate examine final month mentioned that reside comedy was now price more than £1bn a 12 months to the UK economic system. This determine contains not simply ticket gross sales, but additionally the revenues of comedy venues and festivals, and the constructive impression on the broader native economies.

US comic Viv Ford can be acting at this month’s Edinburgh Competition Fringe.

Her present is named “No Children On The Blockchain”, and particulars her time residing with “14 tech-loving crypto [currency] bros in San Francisco”.

Although she wrote the present herself, she explains she examined her materials on ChatGPT.

“I am going to say, ‘hey, is that this joke humorous?’. And if it says ‘it’s humorous’, genuinely, it doesn’t land with an viewers,” says Viv. “But when it says a joke ‘is offensive’ it does so nicely.

“And typically ChatGPT will say ‘the joke is ok, however might use some work’, through which case I toss it away and begin once more.”

Viv is aware of that a number of folks received’t be so embracing of AI within the arts. It’s a view she used to take till she lived in San Francisco, the place so many tech companies are primarily based.

“I am so conscious that the one cause I feel this fashion is due to my four-year indoctrination within the college of San Francisco,” she says. “I realised AI will be your weapon, similar to Google will be your weapon. If you know the way to make use of AI appropriately, you might be unstoppable.”

Not everybody within the comedy world is eager to strive AI although, together with Kiwi-Filipino comic James Roque. He says it doesn’t match together with his method to humour.

“My perception and ethos is that the most effective comedy is the type that’s deeply human and weak, and AI couldn’t try this,” he says.

Mr Roque can be acting at Edinburgh this month, and he thinks audiences will discover if different comedians use AI. “They’ll sniff out when one thing isn’t genuine,” he says.

“So in case you haven’t created it, I feel audiences are sensible and emotionally clever sufficient to know one thing is off within the present.”

Might AI be the way forward for comedy? Nobody will be positive.

Regardless of writing nearly all of his present present with AI, Anesti Danelis isn’t satisfied he would do it once more. He additionally has issues for the subsequent technology of comedians who may develop to depend on it.

“I feel the harmful factor about AI is that it may be a crutch,” he explains.

“In the event you’re a longtime comic who is aware of your voice, AI offers good recommendation. However if you’re a brand new comic and you do not have that voice but, you must be taught with out AI.

“In any other case, a technology of comedians will probably be saying the identical repetitive, distilled stuff.”