Saturday Night Live featured an impression of Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei during its broadcast on Sunday, September 27, according to techcrunch.com. The segment, which aired on the program's "Weekend Update" portion, saw cast member Jane Wickline portray the artificial intelligence executive, according to techcrunch.com.
The skit addressed what techcrunch.com described as the "AI industry’s recent warnings of doom." Michael Che, the host of "Weekend Update," introduced the segment by describing Amodei as having "stumbled through a press tour," according to techcrunch.com. Che's introduction also referenced Amodei's apparent agreement with a former employee's assertion that artificial intelligence could potentially lead to the destruction of humanity, techcrunch.com reported. Techcrunch.com also noted that Che "sounded a little uncertain about how to pronounce Amodei’s last name" during his introduction.
Jane Wickline's portrayal of Amodei included an "impressive wig," according to techcrunch.com. Her performance, as reported by techcrunch.com, depicted the Anthropic CEO delivering "halting answers." These answers, techcrunch.com noted, "occasionally devolved into full-on Gollum-style exchanges with her dark side."
During the skit, Wickline-as-Amodei made several statements regarding artificial intelligence. At one point, the character confessed, "AI is the devil and I its maker," according to techcrunch.com. The fictional Amodei also sought to reassure the audience, stating, "We are all on the same page here: We do not condone what we are doing," techcrunch.com reported.
The character further declared, "AI is not a weapon, it’s a tool: A tool for building weapons," according to techcrunch.com. Following this, the fictional Amodei added, "And I urge you to urge me to stop," techcrunch.com stated.
Addressing the perceived benefits of artificial intelligence, such as the potential to cure cancer, the character offered a specific outlook. According to techcrunch.com, the fictional Amodei said, "Put it this way: In 10 years, there’s about a 10% chance that cancer won’t be a problem for anyone."
The skit by Saturday Night Live highlights ongoing public and industry discussions surrounding the potential risks and benefits associated with artificial intelligence development, a topic that techcrunch.com noted has been a subject of "recent warnings of doom" from within the AI industry itself.
