The university of Alberta has

a lot going for it.

It's pretty.

Its bear collection is on point.

(slow electronic music)

And it's home to many an eccentric and clever inventor.

Are you human?

Of course not, but that shouldn't keep us from chatting.

Like this fella, Kory Mathewson,

an AI researcher who comes with a sidekick.

(slow electronic music)

Tell me about this guy a little bit, or is this it?

Sure.

(both laugh)

So this is Blueberry.

On Blueberry, I've deployed the improv system.

So there's an artificial improv system running

on Blueberry right now.

Yes, that's right.

Kory does improv comedy with a robot.

I've been doing improv longer than

I've been doing computing science.

I've been doing it for 12 years

and I thought, you know, there's no more

natural convergence than taking some

of these state of the art systems

and putting them up on stage.

One day, we'll make it to the moon

if this planet is not to be our last.

I keep thinking there's, like, a ventriloquist

or this is like a new age.

That's a really good way to put it, yeah.

With a strange twist on it.

The piece that's different is that

I don't know what it will say.

Anything that comes from the system,

it's generating live in the moment.

Blueberry I created you.

I downloaded a voice into your brain

so that you could perform in front of these people.

So they do not know what I am going to say?

I don't know what you're going to say either!

To give Blueberry the power

of surreal Canadian improv,

Kory first had to create an AI

that could bring the funny.

Step one: he feeds Blueberry the dialogue

from a bunch of movies, 102,000 movies to be exact.

All the movies, every movie for 100 years.

And that's just so it can learn language,

see how somebody responds to somebody else.

That's exactly right, it builds kind of a language model.

Step two: he trains Blueberry

just like you'd train a dog.

Rewarding it when it makes sense,

and punishing it when it spits out gibberish.

Time to put this wannabe Kid in the Hall to the test.

Here we go.

Start improvising.

Okay campers, we're going to get ready

for a real baseball game!

Grab your gloves and grab your baseball bats,

and let's get out there!

Especially you, Franklin!

Okay, okay. Well, why aren't you ready for the match?

Okay, come on Franklin, you know how I feel about you,

but you've gotta keep your head in the game right now.

He's threatening you!

I know!

Oh Jesus, put down the bat, Franklin! What are you doing?

I've got nothing to hide. Look!

This is all I am!

Okay, we'll end it there.

That's great!

That's how it works.

Obviously, some of the responses are a little bit weird,

but then it's really funny,

because then as you're going along,

it did hit a couple of things perfectly,

and then it's like, it's extra hilarious,

because now it's going.

Blueberry may not be ready

for its Second City audition just yet.

But Kory has a higher purpose: making AI relatable.

Oh it's gonna move, it's gonna move.

(laughter)

There is a fear in society of AI.

So, we are kind of humanizing this AI.

We're taking it down a peg,

we're saying don't be afraid of this tech,

look at how cute it is, look at how kind of naive it is.

(laughter)

You've done it again, Blueberry!

Isn't there a flip side to that though?

Then you make it cute and then people start to accept it?

You know, then we wake up and...?

(laughter)

I mean, I don't think that will happen in my time.

Hm.

I'm sorry you had to hear that, Blueberry.

When you're ready to turn Kory into a human puppet,

give me a ring, and we'll bring the cameras.