‘Wonka’s Golden Ticket’: How it uses AI Gene Wilder

Netflix has used artificial intelligence to (in a sense) resurrect a beloved star of stage and screen.

As of Wednesday, several episodes of the new Netflix reality competition show Wonka’s Golden Ticket are now available on the popular streaming service. This show has been a source of some controversy ever since its announcement over the summer, as its “host” is an AI-generated Gene Wilder who exists in voice form. Reviews of the series from outlets like Variety and NME have criticized the practice, with Variety calling it “ghoulish.”

You can get a feel for how it works in the trailer, but the essential fact is this: Wilder’s AI voice is used to host the game show. Its challenges and general aesthetic are loosely based on the 1971 Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory film, rather than the original Roald Dahl book or any of the later Hollywood adaptations. Crucially, this AI-generated Wilder is never seen, only heard, with NME calling this version of the deceased actor “blatantly cruel.”

It’s worth mentioning that Wilder’s estate gave permission for Netflix to do this, but that hasn’t stopped people online from reacting to it in a not-entirely-positive manner. We’ve seen similar controversies play out in other cases where deceased entertainers have been resurrected with AI (with the permission of their estate).

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Hopefully, nobody gets stuck inside a TV or turned into a giant blueberry if they lose on the game show.