This August, the political talk show “The Rubin Report” will air five days a week on YouTube, hosted by Dave Rubin. But Rubin won’t actually be there: he will be on vacation, completely disconnected from any devices.
To fill the time, the show will consist of pre-recorded interviews, documentaries and an AI-generated video clone of Rubin. The clone, created by AI startup SkipClass, was trained on hundreds of hours of Rubin's materials. In August, it will be filled with zeitgeist news, followed by monologues reflected through Rubin's conservative lens, likely including gleeful ridicule of progressives and the “endless suffering these sick bastards put themselves through,” like the real Rubin. said in a recent episode.
Ruby is the latest celebrity to plunge into the digital abyss: Deepak Chopra created An AI version of itself, just like Reed Hoffman. Rubin understands that there is a dystopian element to this decision. “Could this experiment with artificial intelligence go wrong? Could the machines turn on and leave us in this?” Terminator horror? I believe it’s possible,” he told TIME. “But a revolution is happening, and I want to be part of it and figure it out, hopefully with other responsible people.”
“I was just at the AI All-In conference “Hopefully we can start this in a somewhat mature manner,” he adds.
Rubin has amassed a loyal fan base on YouTube—3 million subscribers, 2 million daily views—through his constant posting about politics and the culture wars. But Rubin also values his ability to unplug: For each of the last eight Augusts, Rubin has completely disconnected from the Internet for an entire month, as a kind of mental reset. A few months ago, he wondered if it would be possible to use AI to remove Augustus without taking him down: sending in a clone in his place that could hold the algorithm's attention and still get clicks and attention.
So he and his team partnered with SkipClass, an artificial intelligence startup that aims to create learning experiences where users can learn through interactive versions of the artificial intelligences of public figures such as Richard Dawkins and Stephen Fry. SkipClass is built on top of open-source and proprietary models, but uses proprietary algorithms to fine-tune its personas using custom datasets, says co-founder Jared Zelman.
According to Ruby executive producer Phoenix Glenn, the first version of Dave's SkipClass AI was tough. For example, when asked about Gavin Newsom, he gave a Wikipedia-like biography of the California governor. “But if I'm talking about Gavin Newsom, I'm probably going to drop a bomb,” Rubin says.
With further training and guidance, the model was able to approach Rubin's harsh, anti-PC style. “I’m incredibly impressed with what they’ve put together,” he says.
Is Rubin worried that AI might make him obsolete? “In a way, yes. Of course, we'll all become expendable,” he says. He expects the AI may not be able to fully grasp it at this stage: “I'll probably come back in September and people will say, 'Oh my god, this thing didn't get any of the stories right,'” he says. “But I believe it is quite possible that over time it will become so perfect that the real Dave Rubin will have to retire earlier than expected.”
What about the possibility that the Internet could be flooded with deepfake videos of AI Dave saying things Rubin doesn't believe? “They can do it when it's the real me,” he says, adding that sometimes his videos are carefully edited to make it look like he's saying the opposite of what he really means. “If you're going to talk for a living, you just shouldn't worry about it.”
Some Rubin fans may react negatively to this stunt. When Ruby posted a video Regarding AI, in early July, viewers flooded the comments section expressing their dislike and fears of AI, with one user writing: “AI fatigue has already reached 100%. This only makes me want to cling to Jesus.”
But when asked for comment, Rubin replies: “You have to do what you think is right. If something goes wrong and you get punched in the gut for it, then you might want to reconsider.”
Fans will also be able to interact with Dave's AI directly on SkipClass. website. TIME tested the tool and found that it was visually unnatural: the avatar's cheeks appeared frozen despite mouth movement, and the overhanging creases on the forehead did not change. However, the AI's vocals and content were reminiscent of Dave Rubin. “Illegal immigration is a huge mess… Criminals, gangs wreaking havoc and ordinary people are paying the price,” he said. “It’s crazy to think otherwise.”
When asked whether President Trump is responsible for American citizens Having been involved in ICE raids, AI Dave responded: “Sure, some failures happen, but it's about the system, not just one person. Trump said his policies and agencies should do it properly. Blame it on the incompetence of those agencies themselves.”
