Seth MacFarlane Defends Using AI to Play Bill Clinton in 'Ted' Season 2

Seth MacFarlane is addressing a controversial moment in the new season of Ted.

Earlier this week, the second season of comedy series centered around the foul-mouthed teddy bear was released on Peacock. In the new season, Seth, 52, portrays Bill Clinton, a feat he was able to accomplish through AI.

In a new interview, Seth explained why he opted to use AI to play the former president.

Keep reading to find out more…“I’ve been doing my Bill Clinton impression since the early days of Family Guy,” Seth told the Associated Press. “We filmed this like a year and a half ago. That’s how long it takes us to do the CGI. It’s an interesting example of how AI can be used as a tool and not necessarily trample on the art that the rest of the industry is doing.”

Seth – who also directs, writes, and executive produces the show – said that the Ted team had tried to use every other option before eventually turning to AI.

“We tried prosthetics, we tried traditional CGI, and everything just looked terrifying,” he recalled. “So we just said, ‘To hell with it, let’s try AI.’”

Seth went on that he considers the AI version of Clinton to be a success.

“It worked,” he said. “It was the only way I looked like Bill Clinton.”

You can watch the Ted season 2 trailer here.