February 6th Update:
We regret to inform you that as of the morning of Monday, February 6th, Twitch has suspended the stream, citing a violation of their Community Guidelines or Terms of Service. This news has come as a surprise to many and we understand that fans of the show are eager for more information.
READ UPDATE HERE: AI Goes Too Far: ‘Seinfeld’ Parody Show Banned for Transphobic Jokes
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The world of streaming just got a lot more interesting with the arrival of “Nothing, Forever,” an AI-generated version of the classic sitcom “Seinfeld.” With its perpetual stream on Twitch, the show has quickly gained a massive following and become the first AI-generated sitcom with a growing audience.
Co-creators Skylar Hartle and Brian Habersberger have combined machine learning, generative algorithms, and cloud services to bring “Nothing, Forever” to life. Characters converse with each other using OpenAI’s GPT-3 language model, leading to conversations that are often nonsensical and surreal. This off-kilter humor is what draws viewers in, with the show’s Twitch chat constantly exploding with reactions to the characters’ strange and hilarious exchanges.
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The Stream that Keeps on Streaming
One of the reasons “Nothing, Forever” has been so successful is due to its non-stop stream. Since December 14th, the show has been streaming continuously, meaning viewers can watch for as long as they’d like or even leave it on as background noise. The steady stream of content keeps audiences engaged and coming back for more.
An Omen of Things to Come?
While “Nothing, Forever” may seem like a harmless and amusing distraction, it could also be a sign of things to come. Artificial intelligence is slowly making its way into more and more industries, and artists are worried they could be replaced by machines trained on their work without compensation. This is a concern that’s been raised before, with Netflix using AI to create a new anime short film, much to the dismay of fans.
Co-creator Hartle told Motherboard that the idea behind “Nothing, Forever” was to create a show that would have fresh content whenever you want it. “You don’t just have seven seasons of a show, you have seven hundred, or infinite seasons of a show that has fresh content whenever you want it. And so that became one of our grounding pillars,” he said.
The rise of AI in the entertainment industry raises important questions about the role of technology in the creative process and what the future of content creation may look like. As the philosopher and cultural critic Neil Postman once said, “Technology changes our habits of mind.” The success of “Nothing, Forever” is a testament to this, and it will be interesting to see how AI continues to shape the world of entertainment in the years to come.
