ai_sponge | |
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Genre | |
Created by | JAZZA |
Based on | SpongeBob SquarePants |
Country of origin | Australia |
Original language | English |
Original release | |
Network | Twitch, YouTube, Kick |
Release | March 5 July 26, 2023 | –
ai_sponge was[ citation needed] a Twitch, Kick, and YouTube channel that used artificial intelligence (AI) to generate livestream content featuring characters from the animated SpongeBob SquarePants franchise. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] The livestream, which launched on March 5, 2023, [7] [8] [3] [4] used 3D models of SpongeBob characters within Unity and Uberduck AI-generated voices based on the show's voice actors. [9] [7] [8] Viewers could prompt the character's conversation topics through the channel's Discord server, which often led to inappropriate results. [9] [10] On July 26, 2023, ai_sponge was officially discontinued as a result of multiple copyright strikes from Paramount Global and the discontinuation of public Uberduck voices. [11]
The channel was created in the wake of the success of Nothing, Forever, a Twitch channel that streams an AI-generated sitcom based on Seinfeld which never ends. [7] [1] [2] [5] The ai_sponge channel quickly gained popularity, garnering 48,000 followers within its 2-day run time before being banned permanently by Twitch. [7] [8] [4] The channel then relocated to several YouTube channels throughout March to July 2023. [7] [8] Clips from the livestreams have since gone viral on YouTube and Twitter. [7] [8]
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Artificial intelligence |
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On July 26, 2023, it was announced on the ai_sponge Discord server that the official livestreams would come to an end.[ non-primary source needed] UberDuck, which provided the voices that were used by ai_sponge, had ended public voice support, [11] essentially making it impossible to continue the project.[ citation needed] Additionally, JAZZA had begun to lose interest in the stream due to it beginning to decline in popularity following the continuous moving of the streams due to copyright claims.[ citation needed]
The ai_sponge channel has been praised for its comedic value and criticized for its explicit content. [6] The viewer-prompted topics often involved the SpongeBob characters saying wildly inappropriate and out of character conversations, such as SpongeBob revealing to Patrick a diagnosis of testicular cancer, or the characters discussing their existence within the Matrix. [6] [7] [8] [5]
The channel has also inspired numerous other AI-generated livestreams, including ai_Peter, which livestreams AI content based on Family Guy. [12] ai_Sponge has also led to a trend on YouTube that consists of using AI-generated voices, primarily of SpongeBob characters, to sing popular songs. [13] [14]
The rise and popularity of artificially generated livestreams has raised several legal questions, including whether Nothing, Forever, ai_sponge, ai_Peter, and The Simulation qualify as copyright infringement. [7] [8] [15]