--- title: "Neural Networks Generate Demonic Simpsons Characters Straight From Hell" description: "Some mad scientists have been training neural networks onto \"The Simpsons\" — and the results are demonic AF." date: "2022-02-22" modified: "2022-02-22" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/ai-simpsons" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "artificial intelligence" - "deepfake" - "machine learning" - "neural networks" --- # Neural Networks Generate Demonic Simpsons Characters Straight From Hell ![Some mad scientists have been training neural networks onto "The Simpsons" — and the results are demonic AF.]() *\Image: u/Traditional-Word2390\* Some mad scientists have been training neural networks with imagery from "The Simpsons" — and the results are, in a word, demonic. Posted on the delightful MediaSynthesis subreddit [by a user]() whose account is full of trippy art generated by AI, this most recent monstrosity represents the latest in a long line of multimedia artists who use machine learning to pay homage specifically to "The Simpsons." Using the [generative adversarial network]() machine learning model, which basically is the result of two neural networks duking it out, this user's AI created an ever-shifting abomination that morphs between Bart and Homer, never quite landing on either while inflating the eyes and limbs of the creepy creature it created. https://www.reddit.com/r/MediaSynthesis/comments/sycy86/simpsons_gan/ Though there's lots of [awesome AI-generated art]() out there, it seems like "The Simpsons" hold a special place in the hearts of generative artists. Take, for example, the recent [buzz surrounding the work]() of Brazilian [generative artist Hidrėlėy Diao](), who used a combination of AI and Photoshop to turn beloved characters from the show into creepy, real-life "people." https://twitter.com/KittenHugger777/status/1488244704248401921 And it gets even weirder. In 2021, Canada-based AI researcher Tim McSmythurs made waves when he trained a powerful "deepfake" model, which can imitate anyone's voice, with Simpsons characters**.** On [his YouTube channel](), McSmythurs (whose name does indeed sound like it belongs in the show) both inserted characters from the long-running animated series into other media and used it to put people in the show that didn't actually guest star (including Donald Trump and Joe Biden). In [an interview with ]()*Wired,* McSmythurs posited that one "could certainly come up with an episode of *The Simpsons* that is voiced by the characters in a believable way" — though he made it clear that, because deepfaked voices generally lack the tonal resonance of real ones, it may not be as "enjoyable." But wait, there's more! A few years ago, someone trained yet another neural network to generate "Simpsons" scripts — which resulted in text so sketchy, the AI's writer called it "[Soulless Sam Simon]()," a reference to the show's deceased cocreator. Back then, text generation AIs were far from as [sophisticated as they are today](), and the "scripts" that old bot created came out pretty bizarre, with characters uttering things like "the key glory and the nuclear things would turn them connections tooth room" and "I want you in a wedding out of the solution with the principal's let-madfather to be skin." But since 2018, when "Soulless Sam Simon" first started unleashing nonsensical hell onto the machine learning community, neural networks have come a long way. We may not yet have deepfaked voice actors or AI-generated phantasmagoria on "The Simpsons," but as [the technology gets smarter](), so too will the art it spits. **More on AI abominations:** [*Scientists Warn That New AI-Generated Faces Are Seen As More Trustworthy Than Real Ones*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()