AI Comedian Goes Viral by Borrowing Jokes, Racking Up Millions of Views

Shorts generated by AI tools have been taking over social media and vertical video platforms lately. A recent incident highlights the downside of this trend, as a stand-up comedian accused someone of using AI to plagiarize his joke through a popular AI-generated character on Instagram.

Meet Tiffany Sloan, an AI-created persona featured in numerous Instagram Reels, where she delivers jokes to a fabricated audience. Some of these clips have gained significant traction, with one stand-up video racking up over 7 million views in less than two weeks. This video exemplifies the type of content dominating the Sloan account.

Sloan’s creator remains a mystery, but the AI character has quickly amassed a following on Meta’s platform. Since launching on September 11, the account has attracted over 375,000 followers and posted 75 videos, primarily showcasing Sloan telling jokes. However, concerns have arisen that the creator is appropriating material from other comedians.

On October 3, comedian George Brett Olson released a video comparing one of Sloan’s jokes to a segment from his own act, revealing a striking similarity not just in the joke but also in Olson’s attire.

The Sloan account is not only accused of joke theft, with Olson claiming that other comedians are facing similar issues, but it is also profiting from the views and engagement generated through this AI-driven content. Olson further alleges that the same individual behind Sloan is using various AI-generated women of different races to recycle the same jokes. This situation reflects the current state of the internet, largely influenced by major tech companies.

Engagement is the key to monetization, and higher numbers translate to greater earnings. With AI tools, it’s become increasingly simple for one person to create multiple accounts filled with content featuring attractive characters or quirky personas, all while cashing in. Thanks to AI, Sloan can even appear alongside well-known actors like Kaley Cuoco and Danny DeVito. The creator can easily produce different versions of the same joke with various outfits and actors to see which one performs best with the algorithm. And if you’re a fan of Sloan, she even has an OnlyFans account.

This is the direction we’re heading, and it’s disheartening. The blame lies squarely with big tech companies that not only develop generative AI technology but also establish systems that reward those who exploit these tools to inundate the internet with content. What kind of content? It hardly matters; the focus is on clicks and views. If viewers engage, the creator is incentivized to produce more of the same to keep the cycle going.

The future promises an overwhelming influx of AI-generated videos saturating every aspect of our digital experience, with the only interruptions likely coming from gambling app ads featuring celebrities. By then, figures like Mark Zuckerberg will be even wealthier, leaving a few to benefit from this wave of low-quality content.