Joe Rogan Issues Warning After AI-Generated Version of His Podcast Surfaces

Joe Rogan enters the octagon during the UFC 225: Whittaker v Romero 2 event at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on June 9, 2018. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Joe Rogan has warned of the growing threats posed by artificial intelligence (AI) after a version of his podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” was created entirely through the use of AI technology, sparking concern among listeners.

“This is going to get very slippery, kids,” Rogan wrote on Twitter on April 11 in response to a video of the fake show shared on the social media platform by content creator Farzad Mesbahi.

The fake video is titled “Joe Rogan AI Experience Episode #001” and features “guest” Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the creator of the artificial intelligence system ChatGPT.

A disclaimer on the video noted that the contents depict a “fictional” podcast between Rogan and Altman, with all content generated using AI language models.

“The ideas and opinions expressed in the podcast are not reflective of the thoughts of Joe Rogan or Sam Altman,” the disclaimer reads.

It adds that the use of AI technology to generate the video is “solely intended as an exploration of the capabilities of language models and should not be misconstrued as a genuine conversation between the individuals depicted.”

Fake Guest Talks Elon Musk

Throughout the fake podcast, the AI-generated host “Rogan” and AI-generated guest “Altman” discuss various subjects including the future of AI, ethical issues surrounding such advanced technology, whether or not advanced AI could take jobs away from American workers, and, rather ironically, concerns regarding fake AI content, among other issues.

At one point, “Altman” even discusses his work with Elon Musk.

Musk founded OpenAI with Altman in 2015 but has in recent months led calls for AI labs to immediately pause training systems that are more powerful than Chat GPT-4 for at least six months, citing concerns over their possible “risks to society and humanity.”

“I’m curious to know what it’s like to work with Elon Musk,” the fake Rogan asks Altman on the show. “He’s such a controversial and influential figure in the tech world and I’m sure it must be an interesting experience to work with him. Can you tell me a bit about your experience working with Elon and your thoughts on him as a person and a leader?”

“It’s definitely been an interesting experience working with Elon, he’s definitely a very intelligent and driven person and he has a lot of great ideas and insights, he’s definitely someone who is always thinking about the future and how to make the world a better place and I really respect that about him,” the fake Altman responds.

“At the same time, he’s also someone who is very passionate about his beliefs and ideals and he’s not afraid to speak his mind and challenge the status quo. That can definitely be both a strength and a weakness depending on the situation,” the AI-generated Altman continues.

Rogan Fans Concerned

“Overall I think Elon is a brilliant and innovative leader and I’ve learned a lot from working with him, it’s definitely been an interesting and rewarding experience,” fake Altman added.

Rogan fans expressed their concerns over the AI-generated show, with many noting how realistic it is. Others shared their worries about the pace at which AI technology is progressing.

Content creator Mesbahi urged people to press government officials to address the issues posed by advanced AI, noting that the fake podcast is just one example of what the technology can do.

“Imagine in, one year, five years, 10 years,” he wrote.

The video comes as experts have warned of limited planning and management regarding advanced AI systems despite companies in recent months racing to deploy more powerful AI technologies.

Last month, the Microsoft-backed OpenAI released the long-awaited update of its AI technology Chat GPT-4, the most powerful AI system ever.

Also in March, Google announced it had launched its AI app, known as “Bard,” for testing in the United Kingdom and the United States, although the company has taken a slower approach to releasing the technology, saying it needs more feedback about the app and must address certain challenges such as its inaccurate, misleading, or false information.