“AI In The Spotlight” In Celebrity Comedy Improv Show Headed For Italy’s Rai

AI is at the center of a new Italian primetime comedy show. Italy’s Rai has ordered Fake Show — Diffidate delle Imitazioni, a celebrity improv series in which famous faces respond to a comedic AI machine “generating unpredictable situations, rules and games.”

Endemol Shine Italy, part of Banijay Italy, is producing Fake Show, which will air in primetime this fall. Hosted by actor, comedian and author Max Giusti, the format will “put AI in the spotlight and celebrates the highest form of flattery, imitation,” according to its producers.

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In each episode, celebrities will showcase improv skills by impersonating characters, dialects, objects, sounds and showbiz counterparts.

James Townley, Chief Content Officer, Development at Banijay said: “We are seeing continued demand for light-hearted formats that put a smile on viewers’ face, and Fake Show guarantees just this. With AI at its heart, this ground-breaking format is versatile, scalable, connects audiences and we’re excited to see what the future holds for it.”

The use of artificial intelligence in TV and film has been among the hottest button topics in the protracted writers and actors strike, with many writers concerned studios and producers will replace them with generative systems. While Fake Show is aiming to keep it light and showcase the possibilities of AI, it demonstrates how powerful the medium is becoming.

ITV2’s Deep Fake Neighbour Wars, which used AI to clone celebrities faces and put them in comic mockumentary situations, has been debated several times since its launch early this year in the UK.

Fake Show maker Endemol Shine Italy is behind Big Brother for Canale 5 and Deal or No Deal for Rai1, as well as  LOL: Last One Laughing Italy and Celebrity Hunted for Amazon Prime Video.

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