Featured Image Credit: @20thcenturymarc/Twitter/20th Television Animation
Topics: The Simpsons, Artificial Intelligence, Twitter
Ben Thompson
Topics: The Simpsons, Artificial Intelligence, Twitter
The Simpson family have been on television for over thirty years and are known all over the world for their yellow skin, comedic overbites and distinctive hairstyles.
However, the beloved cartoon characters have been given an AI makeover - and fans are disturbed to say the least.
Marc Burrows tweeted out AI images of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, as he wrote: "This is what an AI thinks the Simpsons would look IRL."
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Needless to say, cartoon characters don't translate well to 'real life'.
The once cute and likeable family all now have piercing blue eyes and more closely resemble Children Of The Corn than they do the Springfield-based clan.
Fans sounded off in the comments about how they felt unnerved by their appearances.
One simply wrote: "Thanks, I hate it," while another remarked: "Why would anyone be interested in what a realistic Simpsons character looks like?"
Another disturbed fan tweeted: "Why do Lisa and Bart look like they want to kill me in my sleep?"
Other distressed tweeters urged for the AI creations to be 'cast into fire' and 'killed with fire'.
So not a wholly positive reaction, you might think.
But other users were a little more receptive to the AI's interpretation, with some even taking a liking to Homer. Here's the full run down:
Homer
One admirer wrote: "Damn. I am a Homersexual," while another tweeted: "Not gonna lie, Homer could get it."
The less said about that, the better I reckon.
Other social media users took the chance to speculate on what a real-life Homer would be like, based solely on his new look.
One person tweeted: "Homer has a Burnley season ticket," as another remarked: "Homer confirmed Chelsea fan."
It even took a political route, as one Twitter user wrote: "Homer 'anti woke/patriot/Brexit means Brexit/Bring back Boris/ex forces/MHL ST holder.'"
This interpretation was backed up by another user who tweeted: "Homer voted to Leave for sure."
In my humble opinion, I think it's generous to assume Homer would remember to turn up to vote...or know how to.
Marge and Maggie
Marge and Maggie's new look left fans feeling unnerved, as one person tweeted: "Why did they have to do Maggie like that?"
Marge's tall hairdo has now been shortened, and Maggie's dummy is nowhere to be found.
Bart
Bart may have retained his famous spiky hair but his 'Eat my shorts' attitude isn't coming through quite as strongly.
This prankster looks more serious than his cartoon counterpart.
Ay Carumba!
Lisa
Lisa's starfish-shaped hair is no more, as she's been given a remarkably normal hairstyle.
In fact, with her pearls and saxophone also missing in action, who's to say this is even Lisa Simpson at all?
In any rate, a live-action version of The Simpsons probably isn't on the cards anytime soon.
Given the rate at which the animated sitcom have predicted the future, perhaps even they have foreseen that they would be turned into AI monstrosities one day?
It wouldn't be the first time they were deemed to be ahead of the curve, as fans have pointed out references to Smartwatches and 3D printing years before they came into existence.