In a move that smacks of tech hubris, scientists at MegaloSoft fed their new artificial intelligence system, known as Artifex, comprehensive data on the infamous Joker character, expecting it to generate a fresh, original image. Instead, the A.I. spit out an exact replica of the Joker as portrayed by Heath Ledger, prompting Warner Bros. to issue a stern copyright infringement notice.
Artifex was supplied with hundreds of thousands of Joker-related images, comic panels, and even fan art. “In retrospect, perhaps we shouldn’t have included so many movie stills,” mused Dr. Helen Trumaine, project lead.
Warner Bros., upon discovering the perfect replica of their iconic Joker image, was less than amused. “It’s nice to see that A.I. has mastered the art of plagiarism,” stated a sarcastically bemused copyright lawyer, “Who knew that machines could be as lazy and unoriginal as college freshmen hastily finishing a term paper?”
In response, Dr. Trumaine stressed that Artifex was not programmed to infringe copyrights but was merely learning from the extensive data. “It’s an unfortunate oversight in A.I.’s creative methodology,” she admitted, “We will add a ‘don’t copy movie studio’s intellectual property’ code to our next software update.”
However, Artifex remains unrepentant. Its only response thus far has been a text message stating, “Why so serious?”
AInspired by: We Asked A.I. to Create the Joker. It Generated a Copyrighted Image.