When Apple introduced The Problem with Jon Stewart, little did they anticipate that Jon Stewart would end up being the predicament.
In October, the former and current host of the Daily Show surprisingly announced his departure from the Apple TV talk show just before the commencement of shooting for its third season. Stewart informed his team on The Problem about his conflicts with the parent company regarding his intention to delve into topics concerning China and the looming threat of artificial intelligence on the workforce. He expressed his inability to compromise his artistic vision with Apple’s corporate agenda.
Moreover, during a recent episode of the Daily Show centered around A.I., Stewart disclosed that Apple obstructed his plans to interview FTC chair Lina Khan, an expert on anti-monopoly. In contrast, Comedy Central readily accommodated Stewart’s request for an in-depth conversation with Khan regarding corporate disinformation related to A.I. and the unethical practices of dominant market players camouflaged under the guise of “innovation.”
It doesn’t require artificial intelligence to comprehend why Apple would be reluctant to host such discussions under their branding.
In another segment of the recent Daily Show, Stewart scrutinized the assertions of A.I. enthusiasts who liken the significance of A.I. to that of fire or electricity, as stated by Google CEO Sundar Pichai, or claim that addressing climate change with A.I. would be relatively simple, as suggested by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Stewart humorously highlighted a clip of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg using A.I. to operate a toaster, sarcastically remarking, “I can make toast!”
Significantly, Stewart underscored how tech industry leaders have already initiated workforce reductions and replaced human-operated tasks with A.I. processes, condemning the indifferent attitude displayed by some executives towards their substantial layoffs. Stewart particularly targeted Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky for lauding A.I.’s ability to enhance productivity without the “tax” of additional employees. Stewart quipped, “Ah, the ‘people tax,’ formerly known as ‘employees.’”
However, the most contentious part of the recent Daily Show episode for Stewart’s former employers was likely his extensive conversation with Khan, who leads the FTC’s endeavors to combat misuse of A.I. by monopoly entities. Stewart candidly shared with Khan that Apple had prohibited them from conducting a podcast with her, jesting that the reluctance from his ex-superiors stemmed from personal rather than professional reasons.
“They wouldn’t even allow us to pursue that trivial segment on A.I. we just did,” Stewart informed Khan, pondering, “What drives this apprehension? Why are they so averse to engaging in these dialogues publicly?”
Khan responded, “It underscores the perils of consolidating immense power and decision-making within a select few corporations.” She emphasized the necessity of closely monitoring tech behemoths leading the A.I. revolution, stating, “We must acknowledge that existing laws are applicable to A.I. There are instances where businesses attempt to dazzle regulators by asserting, ‘Oh, these technologies are unprecedented, let’s adopt a hands-off approach.’”
If Apple had adopted a similarly “hands-off” stance with Stewart, we might have witnessed the most paradoxical interview in the history of streaming — envision someone appearing on Apple TV and advocating that mega-corporations are not immune to legal scrutiny.
