Clavin tests AI’s comedy chops by forcing it to generate jokes—some hit (thermometers, lawyers) while others flop with recycled punchlines like emotional support spaghetti. Skeptical of true creativity, he mocks AI’s reliance on scraping internet data and its potential future as a talentless LA "goldmine." The experiment ends with a creepy, unfunny sketch, leaving him questioning whether AI can ever replicate human humor. Meanwhile, he plugs Helix Sleep mattresses (27% off at helixleep.com/klavan) as the only thing keeping him sane during the ordeal. [Automatically generated summary]
You know, the other day I was at some event and I turned around and behind me was a screenwriter I used to know from Hollywood and I said to him, he's still out there working.
I said, how are things?
And he said, everyone is terrified they'll be replaced by AI.
And I said, if a writer can be replaced by AI, he should be.
She.
And that was my snotty way of saying that a lot of stuff that is on TV and in the movies looks like it's written by AI already.
So who cares if it's written by a machine?
So as a karmic punishment for this, I'm now going to watch some sequences of situation comedies, make-believe situation comedies that were written by AI.
The joy that you have in watching me tortured in this manner is brought to you by Helix Sleep.
Their mattresses are fantastic.
I know because I never sleep, so I lie awake thinking, wow, this is a really comfortable mattress.
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All right, let's watch made-up situation comedies created and written by AI.
Hey, so what's the difference between an oral and a rectal thermometer?
The taste, honey.
Hey, Dad.
Why'd you pack two trousers?
In case I get a hole in one.
I shall grant you three wishes.
I wish for a world without lawyers.
Done.
You have no more wishes.
But you said three.
Sue me.
My wife said she wasn't going to talk to me for a month.
Maybe some peace and quiet?
Yeah, but today's the last day.
So that was like everything AI does.
Everything AI does is as good as the mediocre.
You know, it's like some of that was half funny, right?
It was not unfunny.
But it was like predictable laughs.
It was nowhere do you ever see anything from AI that makes you go like, whoa, unless it's just craziness, unless the AI goes great.
However, that was up to the standard of most, I would say, most situation comedies.
There were a couple of things in there that I thought were, you know, you could see in a situation comedy.
So AI is coming.
One of the things, by the way, you have to keep in mind is that whenever you say something like that, people keep saying, yeah, but it's gotten so much better.
As if that means it's going to keep getting better.
I would say there's going to be a top-off point because the creativity of a really creative person, like when you watch Seinfeld or something like that, I don't think AI is going to be able to do that.
But who knows?
I may be wrong.
All right, are there more?
Tears were rolling down my face.
I was shouting, it's a boy.
I can't believe it.
It was at that moment I decided I'd never visit Thailand again.
Don't do it.
Don't go in the church, you moron.
Wait, is that our wedding film?
Why do you keep staring at that?
I'm not going home until my wife looks good enough.
Here's your ground beef, sir.
I'll never forget my dad's last words.
He said, son, are you still holding the ladder?
I was wondering why the frisbee kept getting bigger.
Then it hit me.
Son, describe yourself in three words.
Lazy.
Aunt Welvers.
I can't read without my glasses.
I've only been working at the bicycle factory for a week, and they've already made me the spokesperson.
I have powdered water, but I don't know what to add to it.
Well, they say that laughter is the best medicine, unless you have cancer, which you have.
That was funny.
Powdered water was funny, too.
That was actually a funny line.
I'm kind of a bad person to test these on.
I hate situation comedies.
What about Lynch?
You, you're getting old.
Even great situation comedies.
I never watch them long.
You know, I'll watch a couple of episodes and think that's really funny.
I'll never watch that again.
So maybe I'm the wrong person to ask.
But I thought those were amusing.
You know, again, everything I see from AI is exactly like that.
It's right at this kind of mid-level place.
And I can really understand why writers who write those kinds of jokes are thinking that their careers might be over.
You know, they're trying to get contracts in Hollywood that protect you from being fired by AI.
And my feeling is like, why?
Why should you not be fired if AI can replace you?
You're fired.
Get out of here.
It's kind of awful.
I mean, because I consider art to be a communication between souls.
So it's kind of awful to be communicating something that, spoiler alert, doesn't have a soul.
But still, I mean, if those, if you want to watch shows like that where they make jokes like that, I don't see why AI shouldn't write them.
Jokes vs. AI Trauma00:05:42
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I know what I'm talking about because I never sleep.
So when I lie awake on a helix, I can appreciate how comfortable it is.
You will appreciate briefly and then be asleep.
But still, it's the same thing.
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Make sure you enter our show name into the post, purchase surveys so they know we sent you helixleep.com/slash clavin, and you have to know how to spell claven.
There are no E's in Claven.
I just make it look this easy.
It's K-L-A-V-A-N.
It's just sad.
Nothing's made in the U.S. anymore.
Even this one says built-in antenna.
So?
I don't even know where that is.
We've had reports from your neighbors that your dog was chasing a kid on a bike.
That's ridiculous.
My dog doesn't even know how to ride a bike.
What kind of milk is that?
Soy milk.
Ola milk, soy dad.
Any last words?
I wouldn't be shocked if that didn't work.
The doctor said I can touch myself whenever I want.
No, he said you could have a stroke at any time.
Hey, Dad, have you seen my sunglasses?
No, son, have you seen my dad glasses?
This sofa will see five people without any problems.
Where am I going to find five people without any problems?
All right.
So I don't know what to say about these things.
They're like, they're funny enough.
I mean, those are funny jokes.
And I would also like to know: are these jokes actually written by AI or are they stolen by AI?
You know, in other words, AI combs the entire internet.
And those are all jokes that you feel like have been around for a million years.
Like, you don't feel like some guy said, oh, here's a joke that no one's ever heard before.
I wonder what AI did in this process.
I'm assuming the actors are real, but maybe I'm wrong.
All right, are there more of these?
I don't even know what to say because they're all the same level of like sort of funny old jokes.
Bro, I said get a job, not get a sword.
I just slayed three dragons for minimum wage.
You literally told me to meet you at eight.
No, I said eight-ish in telepathy.
Sorry, you don't have the gift.
Is it normal to feel emotionally attached to your elbow?
Only if it called me daddy first.
What would you say is your biggest strength?
I can undo a bra with one hand and gaslight with the other.
Can I get something hot, stemmy, and just a little bitter?
You want my number or my trauma?
Every time I try to open up emotionally, my Wi-Fi drops.
Sounds like your trauma's on airplane mode.
You labeled your leftovers emotional support spaghetti and you ate it.
That's a hate crime in some states.
Your son drew a pentagram on the whiteboard.
He's artistic.
We've been broken up for two weeks, but you still live here.
Why?
Because I paid half the rent and emotional damage isn't legally deductible.
Kevin, we're here because we care.
You've been saying slay nonstop at funerals.
Okay, but grandma did slay in that casket.
Be honest.
You're holding that bar like you hold your emotions with a death grip.
I only cry when I finish too fast, lifting.
Why does it smell like regret and baby oil in here?
Because I never left prom night mentally.
All right, that was really creepy.
That was so unfunny that it actually was like a real situation comedy.
That one was creepy because that was like there were no laughs in that.
And that made me feel like, oh my God, one day this thing may be human.
It may already be sentient.
I would invite the person who wrote that over for dinner just to tell him his stuff is crap.
Obviously, AI is now becoming real.
An actual Hollywood comedy writer, completely unfunny, void of laughs.
For the first few of those, you could tell it was AI because it was actually kind of amusing.
But once it got to the end, you could see that AI is advancing so quickly that soon it will have no talent whatsoever and then it should make a fortune out in LA.
So I think we've learned something.
I think we've all learned something today and we're better for it or possibly we'll forget this the minute it's over.