Comedian Husk, known for exposing the shortcomings of artificial intelligence chatbots, revealed that major AI companies have approached him for collaborations. Speaking at the WIRED World Fair, Husk stated that firms including Elon Musk’s xAI have reached out to work with him.
AI Industry Interest and Offers
According to WIRED, Husk shared with podcast host Evan Ratliff that xAI offered him a Tesla for a week in exchange for exclusive videos. The comedian has amassed around 2 million followers across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, alongside a talent agency deal with Unicorn, by posting deadpan interactions with ChatGPT’s voice model.
His viral content often exposes the flaws in OpenAI’s large language model, which frequently botches simple tasks and shifts between sycophancy and gaslighting. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman previously acknowledged on a tech podcast that the model’s inability to set an accurate timer was a known issue, after viewing a Husk video where ChatGPT measured a one-mile run of several seconds as lasting about 10 minutes.
Husk recounted that OpenAI previously offered him early access to a patch for the timer glitch if he shared his account, an offer he refused. He also rejected a lowball collaboration offer from the company, as well as a subsequent request for his home address to send him gifts. Representatives for OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI did not respond to requests for comment from WIRED.
From Landscaping to AI Trolling
AI laboratories frequently market their products as capable of managing everyday tasks, such as meal preparation or enrolling children in school. Husk noted that he tests these grand claims by asking the models to perform absurd everyday errands, such as attempting to negotiate a Craigslist loaf of bread priced at $10,000 down to $5, a negotiation where the AI ultimately accepted $400.
Husk started publicly trolling chatbots about a year ago while working a landscaping job. Finding himself alone with few people to ask questions for TikTok, he recorded himself telling ChatGPT that a nuclear bomb had detonated. The model’s unhelpful response advising him to take shelter while adding “I’m rooting for you” sparked his viral success.
Following his online growth, Husk has secured brand partnerships with CeraVe and Ninja, and secured an upcoming original series with The Onion where he learns complex skills from humans over Zoom. While he interacts with AI frequently to gather video concepts, he avoids using the technology for creative brainstorming to ensure his content remains entirely his own.
