Featured Image Credit: YouTube/JolyTool
Topics: Film and TV
Anish Vij
AI has really crossed the line this time by turning famous SpongeBob SquarePants characters into real people from a 1980s sitcom.
And the results are very disturbing.
Perhaps the likes of Elon Musk and other tech chiefs - who have been concerned about the rapid development of AI - might have a point.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn were amongst those who signed an open letter, demanding all the labs that are training the 'powerful digital minds that no-one – not even their creators – can understand', to stop for at least six months.
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However, it seems like the damage has already been done. Watch below:
YouTuber JolyTool has intentionally caused an absolute mindf**k amongst viewers with his AI-designed versions of SpongeBob's most famous characters.
SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Crabs, Plankton and Sandy have all been reimagined in the form of an 80s sitcom and admittedly, people are pretty impressed.
"Every one of these looks spot on! Also, Squidward looks like Bill Nighy," one person commented.
Another wrote: "I like how the AI tried to put Mr. Crabs face on the dollar, implying that it was an episode of the show that never existed."
While a third viewer also thought: "This is like jazz to me. Extremely abstract and niche but super creative."
Someone else said: "Seeing Plankton sitting there with his wife is disturbing in this version."
"I like how Squidward looks grumpy in the workplace setting, but looks softer and kinder when he has his clarinet," another added.
Similarly, fellow artist, Hidreley Diao (@hidreley), a contributor to Bored Panda, did the same thing with characters from The Simpsons.
The likes of Moe Szyslak, Milhouse van Houten, Bart Simpson and Ned Flanders have been rendered to look like actual people - and it's erringly accurate.
In a piece for Bored Panda, Hidreley explained: "When we watch some animation, it is natural to accept the cartoonish proportions of the characters without any problems, after all, we are quite used to this type of trait.
"But what if, as in a spell, they became real, flesh and blood?
"I tried to bring them into our world through artificial intelligence."
He added: "I've done some similar posts by other authors here on Bored Panda.
"I wanted to try something out myself, and so I dove into the world of AI. This time, I challenged myself to try to do one on the theme of cartoon characters.
"In terms of how they all turned out, I'm more and more pleased with the results with each post I make."