Will the Next King of Comedy Inevitably Be AI? A Conversation with Stand-up Comedian Mao Dong and Former Xiaoguo Brand Director Vincent Zoo | Creators in the Age of AI Ep03
April 14, 2024
Can AI write gut-busting jokes? Will the next comedy king inevitably be AI? And will it be AI that eliminates stand-up comedians, or a new generation of performers who simply use AI better?
With these questions in mind, Crossroads and Stand:by teamed up to record this episode with two special guests:
Mao Dong (aka "Secretary Mao"): A renowned stand-up comedian and the beloved host of the podcast Mostly Harmless. His wit and sharp insights added plenty of color to our discussion.
Vincent Zoo: Former brand director at Xiaoguo Comedy, now co-host of the podcast NiCE TRY and co-founder of the comedy brand Stand:by. His extensive experience and deep perspective helped us better understand the possibilities and challenges of combining AI with stand-up.
At the start of the show, we tried something novel — I performed two stand-up sets I wrote using AI. Mao Dong and Vincent's reaction? "Holy shit, folks, this is actually pretty good!"
Whether you're AI-curious or a stand-up enthusiast, this episode promises fresh inspiration and food for thought.
🎬 Timeline
01:56 What AI stand-up performance left the deepest impression on us?
03:43 I performed two AI-written stand-up sets, and Mao Dong and Vincent's reaction was: "Holy shit, folks, this is actually pretty good!"
14:06 Mao Dong also created and performed an AI-written set on the spot, then said: "I actually found it pretty inspiring."
22:25 Vincent "exposes" that there's already a comedian using AI to write jokes — who is it?
32:26 Not everyone can create good work with AI. Why?
36:58 Why do stand-up comedians look down on AI-generated material?
42:17 Where does Mao Dong's sense of humor come from? If we could dissect it clearly, could AI learn it?
49:00 How to stay optimistic and confident in 2024?
Overseas comedians mentioned in this episode: George Carlin, Louis C.K.
🥷 About This Series
This is Episode 3 of our content series Creators in the Age of AI. Across this series, we interview writers, directors, video creators, podcasters, stand-up comedians, and other creators to explore how the AI era will reshape their work — and more importantly, how it will affect their lives as ordinary people.
🚦 About Crossroads
Welcome to Crossroads, where we track the industry shifts and entrepreneurial opportunities emerging from the new wave of AI technology.
"Crossroads" was Steve Jobs' metaphor for Apple — a company standing at the intersection of technology and liberal arts, where great products are born. AI is now transforming every industry. We seek out, interview, and bring together the "active optimists" of the AI era to explore and embrace new changes and new possibilities, together.
Host Koji: Co-founder of The Fair and Tangdao, and an active participant diving headfirst into AI. Find him on Jike
Host Ronghui: Works at a tech VC, former Silicon Valley correspondent for Yicai Weekly. Find her on Jike
Add our assistant on WeChat (Rwkfbcianvd) to join the Crossroads community:
🦀 Daily AI Morning Brief
👫🏻 Encouraging dating, friendship, and finding future collaborators
🎄 This podcast is supported by The Fair's Sound Forest Podcast Initiative.