Artificial intelligence is rapidly growing, and it&#8217;s a growingly undeniable part of our future. You&#8217;ve heard the conversations surrounding AI before.
&#8220;Artificial intelligence is like a wild beast, man,&#8221; your friend at the bar tells you. &#8220;Sure, it&#8217;s been created by humans, but it&#8217;s got a mind of its own. It&#8217;s like a Frankenstein monster, but instead of bolts in its neck, it&#8217;s got a bunch of circuits and wires. It&#8217;s this wild, untamed thing that&#8217;s capable of doing some incredible stuff, but it&#8217;s also capable of turning on us and wreaking havoc. It&#8217;s like a wild stallion that we&#8217;ve got to tame, but we don&#8217;t quite yet know for certain if we&#8217;re going to be able to do it. I don&#8217;t know man, it&#8217;s freaky stuff!&#8221;
While some of that may be true, what we&#8217;re seeing the general public use AI for right now is a lot more innocent than that. Videos of US Presidents arguing over which Vancouver adult entertainment club to visit, those same presidents playing Minecraft, and of course, Auston Matthews honestly telling everyone that the Leafs are definitely getting swept by the Panthers. (Warning: Coarse language)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
It’s not the coach it’s the players &#8211; what’s so hard to understand Sheldon? <a href="https://t.co/X9ED2gWkbA">pic.twitter.com/X9ED2gWkbA</a>
&mdash; vektorious (@v3ktorious) <a href="https://twitter.com/v3ktorious/status/1655610965902209033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Beyond that, AI is used in self-driving cars, voice assistants like Google Home, Siri, and Alexa, and is even used in medicine to help diagnose diseases. Almost like the Swiss Army of technology, it seems like humans ask AI to do something new each week.
And this week, one man has simply pushed the boundaries a bit too far.
Earlier this week, <a href="https://twitter.com/garrygates?s=21&amp;t=LDl-Gw1vOqGde1WXQ3BnYQ">professional poker player Garry Gates</a> published a <a href="https://twitter.com/garrygates/status/1655388807162908673?s=46&amp;t=LDl-Gw1vOqGde1WXQ3BnYQ">thread on Twitter</a> that went viral. In the thread, Gates published the results of him asking AI software Midjourney to create mascots for every National Hockey League club. Dear reader, the results were delightfully horrifying.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Metropolitan Division (2/2)<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYR</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FueledByPhilly?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FueledByPhilly</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsGoPens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetsGoPens</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ALLCAPS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ALLCAPS</a> <a href="https://t.co/JoFFAC2aUH">pic.twitter.com/JoFFAC2aUH</a>
&mdash; GG (@GarryGates) <a href="https://twitter.com/GarryGates/status/1655388809595596802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It wasn&#8217;t uncommon for the AI to spit out entirely different and nonsensical words on the teams&#8217; jerseys, which should only be looked at as a victory for the humans. The Washington Capitals had some fun with their &#8220;mascot&#8221;, which had some especially unfortunate language right across the crest of their jersey.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-111316" src="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6950.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="1024" srcset="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6950.jpg 1024w, https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6950-300x300.jpg 300w, https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6950-150x150.jpg 150w, https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6950-768x768.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://t.co/yuyOjB3IoJ">https://t.co/yuyOjB3IoJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/A7fkDEEp7n">pic.twitter.com/A7fkDEEp7n</a>
&mdash; Washington Capitals (@Capitals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1656330408479342594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
To produce these nightmarish images, Gates says he plugged in the same prompt for every mascot to start. A mascot for a team called the (city and team name here).
&#8220;From there, it&#8217;s a bit of a creative process,&#8221; Gates, a resident of Las Vegas, told CanucksArmy. &#8220;Generating tons of versions, finding one that&#8217;s funny, witty, clever, engaging, and then requesting more variations of that.&#8221;
For the Canucks, the AI spit out a whale-type creature (with human teeth?) with the word &#8220;Cavivees&#8221; written on its jersey. The backdrop is a dull-looking office space &#8212; do with that what you will.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-111313" src="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6927.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="1024" />
Some of the mascots were particularly frightening, but the Dallas Stars&#8217; has to take the cake for the one you&#8217;d most likely cross the street to avoid if you saw it walking toward you. What the hell is that thing it&#8217;s holding atop its severed hockey stick?
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-111312" src="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6947.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="1024" srcset="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6947.jpg 1024w, https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6947-300x300.jpg 300w, https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6947-150x150.jpg 150w, https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6947-768x768.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
My personal favourite out of the bunch has to be the Edmonton Oilers&#8217; mascot, which is still somehow less horrific than their actual mascot, Hunter.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-111314" src="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6946.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="1024" srcset="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6946.jpg 1024w, https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6946-300x300.jpg 300w, https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6946-150x150.jpg 150w, https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6946-768x768.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />

Artificial intelligence is rapidly growing, and it's a growingly undeniable part of our future. You've heard the conversations surrounding AI before.

"Artificial intelligence is like a wild beast, man," your friend at the bar tells you. "Sure, it's been created by humans, but it's got a mind of its own. It's like a Frankenstein monster, but instead of bolts in its neck, it's got a bunch of circuits and wires. It's this wild, untamed thing that's capable of doing some incredible stuff, but it's also capable of turning on us and wreaking havoc. It's like a wild stallion that we've got to tame, but we don't quite yet know for certain if we're going to be able to do it. I don't know man, it's freaky stuff!"

While some of that may be true, what we're seeing the general public use AI for right now is a lot more innocent than that. Videos of US Presidents arguing over which Vancouver adult entertainment club to visit, those same presidents playing Minecraft, and of course, Auston Matthews honestly telling everyone that the Leafs are definitely getting swept by the Panthers. (Warning: Coarse language)

https://twitter.com/v3ktorious/status/1655610965902209033

Beyond that, AI is used in self-driving cars, voice assistants like Google Home, Siri, and Alexa, and is even used in medicine to help diagnose diseases. Almost like the Swiss Army of technology, it seems like humans ask AI to do something new each week.

And this week, one man has simply pushed the boundaries a bit too far.

Earlier this week, <a href="https://twitter.com/garrygates?s=21&amp;t=LDl-Gw1vOqGde1WXQ3BnYQ">professional poker player Garry Gates</a> published a <a href="https://twitter.com/garrygates/status/1655388807162908673?s=46&amp;t=LDl-Gw1vOqGde1WXQ3BnYQ">thread on Twitter</a> that went viral. In the thread, Gates published the results of him asking AI software Midjourney to create mascots for every National Hockey League club. Dear reader, the results were delightfully horrifying.

https://twitter.com/garrygates/status/1655388809595596802?s=46&amp;t=LDl-Gw1vOqGde1WXQ3BnYQ

It wasn't uncommon for the AI to spit out entirely different and nonsensical words on the teams' jerseys, which should only be looked at as a victory for the humans. The Washington Capitals had some fun with their "mascot", which had some especially unfortunate language right across the crest of their jersey.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-111316" src="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6950.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="1024" />

https://twitter.com/capitals/status/1656330408479342594?s=46&amp;t=LDl-Gw1vOqGde1WXQ3BnYQ

To produce these nightmarish images, Gates says he plugged in the same prompt for every mascot to start. A mascot for a team called the (city and team name here).

"From there, it's a bit of a creative process," Gates, a resident of Las Vegas, told CanucksArmy. "Generating tons of versions, finding one that's funny, witty, clever, engaging, and then requesting more variations of that."

For the Canucks, the AI spit out a whale-type creature (with human teeth?) with the word "Cavivees" written on its jersey. The backdrop is a dull-looking office space -- do with that what you will.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-111313" src="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6927.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="1024" />

Some of the mascots were particularly frightening, but the Dallas Stars' has to take the cake for the one you'd most likely cross the street to avoid if you saw it walking toward you. What the hell is that thing it's holding atop its severed hockey stick?

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-111312" src="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6947.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="1024" />

My personal favourite out of the bunch has to be the Edmonton Oilers' mascot, which is still somehow less horrific than their actual mascot, Hunter.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-111314" src="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/05/IMG_6946.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="1024" />

Someone told artificial intelligence to create NHL mascots and the results were horrifying

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