John Oliver Brings DALL-E to the Masses by Marrying a Cabbage
It seems that AI-created images have finally made it to the mainstream. On John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight, the comedian/commentator dedicated an entire monologue and even a skit to AI programs such as DALL-E. These programs take inputted text data and create images based on the information provided. John Oliver spoke at length about not only the programs that he discovered but also what he found when searching through the images created by users using the program.
In one instance, he looked up fellow British comedian, James Corden, who found himself the inspiration of a couple of images, mostly quite comical nature. For some reason, users enjoyed creating images of Corden eating teeth. But it didn’t take too long before Oliver himself decided to do what everyone has done since the internet became popular — look up his own name.
The search results astonished the comedian as he found that, unlike Corden, there were over a hundred results. And as you could imagine, all were very interesting, to say the least. John Oliver’s discovery of AI programs that use text descriptions to create unique images isn’t new. Over the summer, images generated from DALL-E flooded social media, branching out past the usual data science and AI enthusiast circle.
Since most are quite simple to use, there is no real benchmark of skill that is required. Early this month, text-to-image AI went to another level with ROBOMOJO. The program, similar to DALL-E, was given descriptions of famous movies: Beetlejuice, Batman, Taxi Driver, and many more. From the title and description, it came up with very unique concepts that were at times right on the nose, and other times way off.
So far in 2022, more and more artists are using AI programs such as DALL-E due to their ability to create vivid and realistic paintings, photos, and illustrations using only text data. As Wired.com reported, artists are using the program to increase their own productivity. In fact, this seems to be the most common use of AI. For example, Anthropologists are using their own AI program to zero in on data accuracy at a greater rate, as ODSC reported. So it seems, that AI as a tool to enhance human abilities, and even engage in pop culture is becoming more and more mainstream.
As for John Oliver, he ended his monologue with marriage to a cabbage. Out of the hundred or so AI-generated images the comedian found, the one that touched him the most was that of him marrying a cabbage. You can watch the entire John Oliver clip here, but what do you think? Is 2022 the year when AI becomes mainstream?
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