The threat of AI replacing human creativity loomed large over the 2023 Webby Awards Monday night.
During the New York ceremony honoring the best of the Internet, host Roy Wood Jr. frequently did battle with what was introduced as an AI voice, which claimed it could replace Wood Jr. as host due to all it had learned about humor. Initially appearing as a graphic on a screen with a computerized voice, the AI later took the form of a small child, Kanye West and Wood Jr. himself, as the bit continued throughout the show.
Every time, though, the AI, which called itself “Asshole,” wasn’t able to get much of a response from the audience with its jokes, allowing Wood Jr. to dismiss it by saying things like “Get out of here, Asshole.”
Before the Webbys AI stole the spotlight, Wood Jr. spoke about the dangers of the technology, which is one of the issues at the center of the ongoing writers strike.
“People are concerned, and rightly so,” Wood Jr. said of the rise of AI, specifically calling out, “what it could do to the film and TV industries.”
“It’s important we remain vocal when it looks like companies are going to be shady in how they use AI,” he added, before advising the audience at Cipriani Wall Street that the tech companies experimenting with AI work in the same industry as the people behind Fyre Fest.
Later, he joked about another threat posed by AI. As dinner was served, he urged the audience to “get that chicken before ChatGPT.”
“It’s only a matter of time before AI comes for the food,” he added.
With the Webbys taking place against the backdrop of the strike, Wood Jr. also joked that absent honorees Kerry Washington and the SmartLess team of Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett weren’t there because “they got hired to write the new season of everything.” In all seriousness, though, the host wished Washington and the SmartLess team well, indicting they were sick.
And before the ceremony, Wood Jr., winners and presenters talked to The Hollywood Reporter about attending this event amid the strike.
Wood Jr. highlighted the “irony” of the role of the internet in raising awareness of the strike.
“If not for the internet, the writers strike, in terms of the level of knowledge and being able to spread the word about what’s happening, there would be a bit of a muzzle on it because then we’d be at the mercy of local press,” he said. “The web has been one of the most integral tools in terms of spreading awareness about what’s happening with the writers strike, but also it’s one of those things where tonight we want to honor people that have helped to make the web a better place.”
Wood Jr., who previously hosted the Writers Guild Awards New York ceremony, said it was “bittersweet” to be at this celebratory event amid the backdrop of the strike “turmoil.”
“What’s happening with the writers strike is very, very important and it’s something that I hope gets resolved very very soon. I really do,” he told THR. “When you look at not only the writers but the other industries that are going to start to be affected by this if the shutdown goes on too long, that’s something that could definitely be fiscally devastating.”
Daily Show alum Wyatt Cenac, who filled in for a raspy-voiced Wood Jr. as host for part of the ceremony, took advantage of his attendance at the event to raise awareness of the strike.
“To me, I feel like if I can use this opportunity as a way to keep talking about the strike and what the writers, but also what so many people in Hollywood and the general labor movement is fighting for, fair wages and working conditions, that’s what I try to use it for,” he told THR.
Honoree Sharon Horgan, who expressed her full support with the striking writers to THR ahead of the event while clarifying she was attending as an actor, used her five-word acceptance speech to advocate for her fellow scribes.
“Pay writers what they deserve,” she said.
Fellow honoree SZA ended the night with a similarly memorable speech, declaring simply, “The internet scares me; thanks.”
Late last month, the Webbys announced this year’s winners, including Hoda Kotb, Anderson Cooper, The Hollywood Reporter‘s Blackfamous roundtable and the “Always & Forever” video supporting reproductive rights.
Producer Mary Ann Marino, and co-founder Gutsy Media, the company behind the 60-second ad, talked to THR about the impact she and the Gutsy Media team hoped their win would have.
“Especially right now, where abortion bans are ripping through the country, if this continues to bring the pressure on state legislators to pass abortion protections around the country,” Marino said, “we’re thrilled the Webbys are acknowledging this real issue for everyone in the country.”
Gutsy Media co-founder and producer Julie Hermelin added of ongoing efforts to restrict access to abortion, “We can’t let this issue fade into the background and become a new normal. We need to keep telling these stories. There was a silence around these stories for decades and in that silence these bans happened. People think, ‘Oh, it’s inevitable.’ It’s not inevitable. We can change this.”
Other honorees at Monday night’s event included Tracee Ellis Ross, Tobe Nwigwe and emoji creator Shigetaka Kurita.
