Russell Howard jokes AI features 'are out of hand' following the release of Apple Vision

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Russell posted a clip from his comedy show on Instagram jokingly addressing the topic of AI

Russell Howard posted a clip of his comedy show to Instagram in which he addressed the topic of AI. In the video, Russell, 43, references a 2017 study that revealed “AI can guess whether you're gay or straight from a photograph.” 

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The Comedian joked that “the new features on the Apple Vision are out of hand,” following the news that Apple would be releasing its first spatial computer – the Apple Vision Pro. Despite Russell’s joke, there is no feature on the Apple device that can predict a person’s sexuality from a picture, although the technology does exist, according to a Stanford study. 

Russell Howard fans praise ‘very funny’ comedian amid sold out tour. (Photo Credt: Instagram/russellhoward)Russell Howard fans praise ‘very funny’ comedian amid sold out tour. (Photo Credt: Instagram/russellhoward)
Russell Howard fans praise ‘very funny’ comedian amid sold out tour. (Photo Credt: Instagram/russellhoward) | (Photo Credt: Instagram/russellhoward)

In the video, Russell asked: “I mean do we really need this?” before he joked that he didn’t believe the AI actually worked because he has a wife yet “looks like Ellen,” suggesting that AI would predict his sexuality incorrectly.  

The study found that a computer algorithm could correctly distinguish between gay and straight men 81% of the time and women 74% of the time. The detection came from individuals having “gender-atypical” features, expressions and “grooming styles.”

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Fans took to the comments with laughing emojis, with one fan adding to the joke that “Guaranteed it would not work for me. The Wii body fit or the Xbox connect couldn’t even read me.” Others asked when the show the clip was from would be available to watch on TV. 

While Russell joked that this feature was part of the Apple Vision, his question regarding whether AI had gone too far is one that has been a major topic of discussion, as Artificial Intelligence is establishing a greater presence in our everyday lives. 

The video comes after he thanked fans for attending the Bournemouth shows of his sold out Russell Howard Live UK tour. Russell captioned the thank you post: “Week 12 of tour, DONE! Bournemouth what an absolutely incredible week of sold out gigs, and what a joy to play a 4000 seat venue! Thank you to everyone who came, I hope you had as much fun as I did.”

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Russell kicked off the huge tour on 16 March at the Hexagon venue in Reading, before spending multiple nights performing in Southend, Leicester, Cambridge, London and Manchester. As he is still mid-tour, he has yet to entertain sold-out crowds in Portsmouth, Brighton, Aberdeen and York.

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