AI-generated technology has boomed in recent months, as internet residents flock to art programs, text prompts, and more that are made entirely by machine learning programs. Two Seinfeld fans have combined several of these tools to create “Nothing, Forever”, a parody of the hit sitcom created entirely by AI and never ending on Twitch. The videos feature four characters that look like 3D representations of Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer, all having conversations in Jerry’s apartment like in the show, but largely engaging in bizarre dialogue. Interstitials like the TV series also feature, featuring exterior shots of the building and even the Jerry character performing stand-up, including a laugh track.
“The actual impetus for this was that it originally started life as this weird, very, eccentric, nonsensical, surreal art project,” co-creator Skyler Hartle told me. Vice’s motherboard about the project. “But then we worked over the years to bring it to this new place. And then, of course, generative media and generative AI have taken off in a crazy way over the last few years.”
The “show” Nothing, Forever generates its dialogue using OpenAI’s GPT-3 language model, combined with machine learning, generative algorithms and cloud services. The creators also confirmed that “dialogue, speech, directing (camera shots, character focus, shot length, scene length, etc.), character movement, and music” are all controlled by the AI. As the creators theoretically put it: “Nothing, Forever” is a non-stop version of Seinfeld could potentially pave the way for “non-stop” versions of your favorite shows in the future.
@motherboardvice It’s an AI-generated sitcom… about nothing. #seinfeld #twitch #ai #chatgpt #shame #technical #news
“You don’t just have seven seasons of a show, you have seven hundred or infinite seasons of a show that has new content whenever you want it. And so that became one of our foundational pillars,” added Hartle. “Our basic principle was, can we make a show that can generate entertaining content forever? Because that’s really where we see the future going. Our goal with the next iterations or next shows that we put out is to actually make a show trading similar to Netflix-level Quality.”
However, a key difference between “Nothing, Forever” and watching a scripted program on TV is that the AI-generated series can change based on viewer feedback. The show attracts thousands of viewers on Twitch on average.
