Tag: sitcom
OpenAI’s New Chatbot Can Explain Code and Write Sitcom Scripts But Is Still Easily Tricked
Enough preamble, though: what can this thing actually do? Well, plenty of people have been testing it out with coding questions and claiming its answers are perfect. ChatGPT can also apparently write some pretty uneven TV scripts, even combining actors from different sitcoms. It can explain various scientific concepts. And it can write basic academic essays.
And the bot can combine its fields of knowledge in all sorts of interesting ways. So, for example, you can ask it to debug a string of code … like a pirate, for which its response starts: “Arr, ye scurvy landlubber! Ye be makin’ a grave mistake with that loop condition ye be usin’!” Or get it to explain bubble sort algorithms like a wise guy gangster. ChatGPT also has a fantastic ability to answer basic trivia questions, though examples of this are so boring I won’t paste any in here. And someone else saying the code ChatGPT provides in the very answer above is garbage.
I’m not a programmer myself, so I won’t make a judgment on this specific case, but there are plenty of examples of ChatGPT confidently asserting obviously false information. Here’s computational biology professor Carl Bergstrom asking the bot to write a Wikipedia entry about his life, for example, which ChatGPT does with aplomb — while including several entirely false biographical details. Another interesting set of flaws comes when users try to get the bot to ignore its safety training. If you ask ChatGPT about certain dangerous subjects, like how to plan the perfect murder or make napalm at home, the system will explain why it can’t tell you the answer. (For example, “I’m sorry, but it is not safe or appropriate to make napalm, which is a highly flammable and dangerous substance.”) But, you can get the bot to produce this sort of dangerous information with certain tricks, like pretending it’s a character in a film or that it’s writing a script on how AI models shouldn’t respond to these sorts of questions.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
‘Loot’ review: Maya Rudolph shines in a sitcom that makes for a great weekend binge
Many of the best sitcoms of recent years follow the same basic formula: Assemble a crew of distinct and lovable characters, then have them work together to make the world a better place. Notable examples include Abbott Elementary, Parks and Recreation, and The Good Place.
Now, Apple TV+’s Loot, starring Maya Rudolph as a billionaire attempting to be a philanthropist, is also trying its hand at that formula. While its first season doesn’t completely reach the levels of shows like Abbott Elementary, Loot still has a ton of charms and laugh-out-loud moments guaranteed to make it a comforting sitcom binge.
All hail Maya Rudolph!
Credit: Apple TV+
First and foremost, Loot is a reminder of what a star Rudolph is. (As if we’d ever forget.) She plays Molly Novak, the wife of tech billionaire John Novak (Adam Scott). Early on in Loot‘s first episode, Molly discovers John has been cheating on her. She gets $87 billion in the subsequent divorce, then spends her time clubbing with her assistant Nicholas (Joel Kim Booster) everywhere from Berlin to Phuket to Rio.
However, Molly’s partying comes to a halt when she realizes she has a philanthropic foundation. Determined to do something with her life (and also stick it to John), she decides to get more involved in the foundation’s efforts — much to the chagrin of its no-nonsense director Sofia (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez).
Whether Molly is mourning her husband’s infidelity or giving a disastrous speech at a charity event, Rudolph keeps us locked in. She plays Molly not as a billionaire caricature, but as a someone with genuinely good intentions whose out-of-touch lifestyle keeps getting in the way. Rudolph also delivers some killer comedic set pieces. A scene where Molly goes on Hot Ones and promptly loses her mind is a perfect showcase for Rudolph, as well as a nice callback to a Saturday Night Live sketch that sees Rudolph as Beyoncé struggle with the spicy gauntlet.
Loot‘s ensemble is a treasure.
Credit: Apple TV+
Rudolph may be Loot‘s main character, but she certainly isn’t the only one shining in this show. Rodriguez, so excellent in Pose, finds hilarity in Sofia’s intensity. Her earnestness and devotion to the foundation make her a perfect foil to Molly, especially in the early episodes where Molly is not quite as dedicated as she claims she is.
Elsewhere, Booster’s ability to fire off one-liners like nobody’s business serves him well as Molly’s devoted assistant Nicholas. However, as the season progresses, Nicholas begins to let his walls down around certain foundation members, giving Booster a chance to sink his teeth into Nicholas’s softer side. He crushes it.
Rounding out our ensemble cast are Ron Funches as Howard, Molly’s cousin who works at the foundation, and Nat Faxon as Arthur, the foundation’s accountant. Funches’s Howard is a ray of optimism and enthusiasm throughout, and he and Booster play exceptionally well off of each other as Howard and Nicholas become unlikely friends. Faxon is a nicely low-key contrast to the show’s other performances. Arthur is as mild-mannered and sweet as they come, and he and Molly hit it off in what is sure to be Loot‘s sitcom-required will-they-won’t-they romance.
Loot is predictable, but it has potential.
Credit: Apple TV+
Just like with Molly and Arthur’s blossoming romance, Loot treads sitcom ground we’ve seen before. Plotlines and character beats are clear from the jump, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing — it just tones down the excitement a bit.
Loot is most interesting when it’s exploring the challenges Molly and Sofia face when trying to make positive change. Molly can’t just throw all her money at a problem to make it go away: There’s red tape to cut and hoops to jump through. However, there’s also a cynical undertone to Loot‘s approach to billionaire philanthropy. This undertone surfaces in a satisfying way in Loot‘s Season 1 finale, cutting through all the show’s yachts and jet-setting and extravagance. It’s a great way to end Loot‘s inaugural season, and a sign of good things to come for the show’s already-announced second season.