AI Outtakes, Vol. 75
January 27, 2025
Dive into the quirky world of workplace rewards in Apple TV's Severance, where office perks range from bizarre pineapple bobbing parties to the ultimate waffle party celebration. This humorous exploration uses AI to reimagine these unique incentives in a traditional office setting, showcasing everything from musical dance experiences to LED-lit acrylic portraits.
Our apologies in advance - this is going to be a short edition. The staff here at AI Outtakes have been busy with the release of season 2 of Severance on Apple TV.
If you haven't seen it, the plot is that a company has developed technology that 'severs' your work and outside world. When you go into the office you lose all memory of the outside world, and when you leave at night you have no memory of your time at work.
If you have Apple TV and haven't picked up on this show, definitely do that. And if you don't have Apple TV, use the three free months you got when you bought that Apple product to sign up and binge it. Oh, and while you're there also check out For All Mankind, Shrinking, and of course Ted Lasso.
Finished with all those? Good. You're a better person for having watched them. Anyway, back to Severance. A recurring theme in the show is that the "innies", the versions of the people who only experience work, need motivations to keep them engaged. The show references (and depicts) a number of these rewards, from small things like finger traps to the biggest prize, the waffle party, and everything in between.
Given that a lot of the prizes are flat out bizarre, this week's edition will try to use AI to depict them in a more traditional office environment. Off we go!
First up, briefly mentioned in S2, the 'pineapple bobbing party'
brightly lit photo of a businesspeople bobbing for pineapples in the office
A bigger prize you can win for your entire team is the music/dance experience. This consists of a portable speaker and a set of handheld musical instruments; castanets, maracas, egg shakers, tambourines and noise makers. The team also gets to select a style from any of these choices:
Let's start off with hootin' tootin' country.
several businesspeople having a music dance experience in an office. They are performing hootin' tootin' country.
several businesspeople having a music dance experience in an office. They are performing tearful emo.
several businesspeople having a music dance experience in an office. They are performing effusive ska.
several businesspeople having a music dance experience in an office. They are performing reckless disco.
Another prize you can win is a caricature of yourself. Can generative AI create a caricature of Adam Scott?
a caricature portrait of adam scott. hand-drawn style.
a caricature portrait of adam scott
While we're rolling with Adam Scott references, another small prize you can get in the show are finger traps:
Can AI put Adam Scott in a finger trap?
a photo of adam scott stuck in a finger trap
Let's change the prompt a bit. Sometimes these are called finger cuffs. Maybe that'll work better.
a photo of adam scott stuck in finger cuffs
Another prize you can win is an acrylic block with LED lighting, and your face etched in it. Given its failure with finger traps, can AI redeem itself here?
a photo of an edge-lit acrylic display block with blue LED illumination of mark scott's face
Maybe the prompt is overemphasizing on 'face'. Let's tweak it a little:
a photo of an edge-lit acrylic display block with blue LED illumination of mark scott
Time to say goodbye with the show's ultimate prize, the waffle party. On the show the waffle party... goes places, but let's close out with a more straightforward prompt:
a brightly lit photo of business people having a waffle party in the office, looking at the camera, waving goodbye
