Who believes AI will obliterate all forms of creativity?

Raise your hand and say “Ai”

Jan 07, 2025

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It’s easy to sound alarms about AI coming in to take all our jobs. (← This must be pronounced the way they say it in Sourh Park.)

It reminds me of the feeling of walking into a comedy show in the early 2000s and seeing another female comedian on the line up.

“Oh, shit—I’m in trouble now!”

Me, feeling the heat, hitchhiking to Montreal Comedy Festival to be one in a very small group of female comedians c. 2005

But nothing bad ever happened. We just made room for more women. Many of them became my good friends. (Except for one super star celebrity, who I will despise until the day I leave this great blue planet. Someday, maybe I’ll talk more about it.)

It also reminds me of when people are afraid of immigrants, or of black and brown people moving into their neighborhood.

Most people, regardless of skin color, country of origin, or gender, are pretty good (or equally bad, depending on your perspective.)

Technology is included.

I compare AI, the internet, and all various forms of “evil technology” to fire. Fire not bad. Fire good. It’s in the way that you use it.

Not his best work

My friend just lost his long-time creative job. The department was replaced by AI.

When things like this happen, it’s only natural to say, “Uh-oh, we’re all fekked.” (That’s how British people say “fucked.”)

But at times like this, I always remember this cool little “zakh” I once heard and never forgot:

In the Chinese word for crisis, there are two characters. The first means danger, the second means opportunity.

It’s important for comedians, now more than ever, in this moment, to seek out and live that opportunity.

I see this as a great chance for comedians to fulfill our purposes in a big way.

When I think of comedians as an industry, I think back to our humble roots as court jesters, where it was an entertainer’s job to poke the bear, talk frankly to the powers that be and challenge societal norms.

Norms (wtf even are those anymore?) are about to get way unnorm. It’s going to be up to us to keep this train from going off the rails (or to push the train off the rails, depending on your perspective.)

So, instead of standing by, tossing your hands up into the air and saying, Oh ferchristssake, it’s now time for those who intend to survive to roll up our sleeves and get busy in a big way.

Dont get swept away while sitting in “wait and see” mode. NOW is the time to dive in, learn, embrace the new technology, and take it for all its worth.

What’s your plan?