The Simpsons Season 36 premiere borrowed (and improved upon) a South Park gag

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Simpsons Season 36, Episode 1

While The Simpsons Season 36, Episode 1 has a refreshingly original premise, the long-running show borrowed part of its setup from South Park And improved on the show’s earlier gag in the process. The Simpsons Was on the air for so long that the show has earned the right to borrow from its competitors. Everything from Family guy to South Park to Bob’s Burgers to Rick and Morty was strongly influenced by The Simpsons. South Park Even aired a critically acclaimed episode over twenty years ago about how The Simpsons Has already thought of every available storyline.

As such, it is no surprise that The Simpsons Season 36 Episode 1’s twisty story borrowed from one of the many adult animated comedy shows the series inspired. What is surprising is how The Simpsons Borrowed this gag and what the show had to change its main thesis. The Simpsons In the 36 episode 1, Bart finally came of age, but the entire storyline was presented as an in-universe series finale for the show. Presenter Conan O’Brien explained that The Simpsons Finally came to an end and the network used generative AI to write its series finale.

The Simpsons Season 36 Episode 1 was supposedly written by AI

Conan O’Brien introduced the “breakthrough in plagiarism” “Hack GPT”

In a gag that owes some creative debt to South Park Season 26, Episode 4, “Deep Learning,” The Simpsons Claimed that the story of Season 36 Episode 1 was written by relying on the AI ​​technology “Hack GPT.” As the name of this technology implies, the episode “Bart’s Birthday” has a dark view of AI writing. O’Brien criticized the tacky use of Bart’s birthday car as a plot point, a group of AI-powered network executives offered vague suggestions for the show mid-episode, and the AI ​​eventually self-terminated Instead of continuing to produce more episodes of the show at the end.

While The Simpsons Season 36 Episode 1’s series finale isn’t really the end of the show, the show’s criticism of AI’s use in the entertainment industry is still barbed. It was a contrast between “Bart’s Birthday” and “Deep Learning” because, surprisingly enough, the more family-friendly series offered a more cynical, darker take on the emerging technology and its potential applications. “Deep Learning” claimed, like “Bart’s Birthday,” to have been written by AI. However, these South Park Episode has few substantial criticisms of AI. Not similar South Parks muddled, inconclusive chatgpt gag, The Simpsons Episode carried a clear and cohesive anti-AI message.

The Simpsons’ AI satire outdid South Park’s chatty GPT episode for one reason

The Simpsons took sides in the contentious debate

Making their episode in early 2023, South Park was so quick on the draw that “deep learning” ends up saying nothing about generative AI beyond noting that the technology is sometimes useful and interesting. The show has no meaningful criticisms of AI to share, although “Bart’s Birthday” pointed to the generic nature of AI-generated writing, the lack of imagination and effort required in its creation, and the massive ethical issues with its constant plagiarism. Between The Simpsons The returning character cameos from the series finale, The Simpsons Offered a killer satirical jab III South Park Has nothing of substance to say.