Roku's Controversial New Channel Is Even Worse Than It Sounds

No matter how much you try, you can't escape AI anymore. If a website or TV isn't using AI to upscale low-quality videos into HD, people are utilizing AI to generate images or write content for them. While the occasional movie and commercial is 100% AI-manufactured, they are rare, but Roku is seeking to change that in the worst way possible because it unleashed Fairground AI Creator TV, a live channel (one of 300 the service provides) devoted entirely to AI.

All the "movies" on the channel are AI all the way down, from the visuals to the audio. Even the commercials on the channel are nothing but AI. Variety reported that Fairground AI was the brainchild of Colin Petrie-Norris, the ex-CEO of Xumo (a streaming service that lets you get free TV channels and movies on your smart TV). The plan was to give "an avenue for creators to showcase the 'gorgeous things' they're creating through a 'curated experience'."

While Roku already has a ton of reach (which only stands to increase once it is sold to the Fox Corporation), Fairground AI's presence is only the beginning of Petrie-Norris' plans. He told Variety that he wants Fairground AI to run on five platforms, and while he didn't say which ones, he claimed they were "the biggest" around. If all goes according to his plan, the people who ideate the content on his channel could become the new "Mr. Beasts of entertainment" within a few years (his words, not ours). It probably goes without saying that viewers aren't as idealistic about Fairground AI or its future.

Some people have made a game out of figuring out whether a video was AI-generated — you only need to look for the signs. Since Fairground AI Creator TV consists of nothing but AI-generated videos, wonky lighting and hands with six fingers are a foregone conclusion. However, without these distractions, audiences are subjected to the full force of AI's creativity or lack thereof.

You only need to look at a clip of one video from Fairground AI on X to understand why people hate the channel. The camerawork is flat with no dynamism to it, pacing is monotonous, and scenes are constantly interrupted by nonsensical segments. Oh, and the "acting" is as lifeless as the algorithm that developed the videos. As some people have pointed out, the majority of "viewers" are most likely bots and AI algorithms sent to cook the audience numbers, making Fairground AI seem more popular than it actually is.

After all, you can access the Roku Channel and its videos for free. If the general reaction is any indication, Colin Petrie-Norris vastly overestimated the appeal of his AI-only channel venture, and Fairground AI won't last long enough to air on its other planned platforms. Fingers crossed Fairground AI is eventually replaced by a channel with quality programming. Something like underappreciated retro cult-classic shows that had their licenses lapse.