Featured Image Credit: Jolytool/YouTube
Artificial intelligence is going to bring about some massive changes - depending on what your perspective is, it could potentially save lives and boost productivity, or it could bring about the end of the world as we know it.
But then there's the third way of looking at things, which is that AI will create totally useless products that are nonetheless hilarious.
That's very much already happening, and a prime example of this is when AI envisioned beloved cartoon series SpongeBob SquarePants as an 80s sitcom.
And we've got to say, the results are eerily accurate. The YouTube video, posted by JolyTool a year ago using AI generator Midjourney, really does look like the opening credits to any 80s sitcom - complete with canned laughter, clapping and booing of the bad guys.
It starts with a realistic view of SpongeBob's pineapple - which is attached to a house and on land, rather than under the sea.
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Then, it goes through each of the major characters: SpongeBob, Patrick, Squidward, Mr Krabs, Plankton and Sandy, conjuring up what their character would look like as a human.
And while they don't look like carbon copies of the cartoon - after all, human Sandy doesn't look like a squirrel - the AI program somehow manages to capture the essence of each character perfectly.
SpongeBob looks as youthful and cheery as the cartoon version, Squidward looks just as grumpy and forlorn as we know him to be, and Plankton definitely has that familiar evil undercurrent.
It's got everyone saying the same things in the comments section - that they can already see who should be cast as the characters in a real-life adaptation of the show.
"This just tells me how perfectly cast Steve Buscemi would be as Plankton," one person enthused, something others echoed.
The other famous name that came up time and time again?
"Every one of these looks spot on! Also, Squidward looks like Bill Nighy," a YouTuber commented, while another joked: "Bill Nighy owes his entire career to his breakout roll and Squidward."
Others just couldn't get over how spot on the AI generation was.
"I feared that this one was gonna be cringe but actually turned out surprisingly accurate," someone noted.
A second said: "They all look exactly how they would sound."
While a third appreciated the nuance of the video: "I like how Squidward looks grumpy in the workplace setting, but looks softer and kinder when he has his clarinet."
