As of late I have been working on a TV series based on the not entirely implausible premise that the good people of Aotearoa New Zealand, fed up with being ruled by dimwitted politicians, decide to entrust the job of governing the country to an AI.
Now I know that in traditional AI-themed film and TV, the moment an AI muscles its way onto the scene is usually just before dystopian shit happens. The AI achieves some kind of self-awareness, goes crazy and tries to kill everything inferior – starting with the humans.
But this is not the case in the thing I’m working on. In fact it turns out, in the world I’m busy creating, that replacing useless, venal politicians with a benevolent AI is the best thing New Zealand could ever do. Everything runs better, everyone is better off, everything is fairer, everyone is happier. Except all the unemployed politicians, obviously.
Okay, sure, New Zealand has become the technological version of North Korea – a pariah state, shunned, as politicians all over the world fear that our insidious experiment in AI governance will spread to their countries and put them out of work.
But this is nothing to our beloved AI overlord. Not only is New Zealand remarkably self-sufficient, but when you’re an AI there are ways round such primitive things as an economic blockade. Thus it is that the Cook Islands becomes the Monaco of the Pacific. It is a portal through which money flows into Aotearoa and also an even better place to go for a holiday because there are no Australians there any more.
As you may have guessed already, this series is a comedy, not a bleak dystopian downer. It revolves around a bunch of idiot flatmates, finding new ways to get into strife whilst trying to scam as much as possible out of our AI leader. It turns out that our AI quite likes entrepreneurial thinking, so opportunities for terrible ideas abound.
An important part of the thinking behind this series is that an AI is only as good as the information being inputted. Thus it is that writing data prompts for the AI is the new growth industry in this future Aotearoa. Ask the right questions, framed in the right way, and ye shall receive the bounty of a benevolent AI.
As part of the extensive research I have been undertaking on this project it occurred to me that maybe a good thing to do, when writing about an AI governing New Zealand, is to ask an actual AI what it would do in this set of circumstances. So I turned to Microsoft’s Copilot for guidance.
At first Copilot played it coy, denying on ethical grounds that an AI would ever consider actually governing an entire country. But it was dealing with a crafty old sod and few carefully worded questions later it started to dish the dirt. The main problems with this idea, it told me, were to do with attaining overwhelming public acceptance and also on cultural grounds.
And also because of the hobbits.
Say what?
It turned out, in my initial discussion with Copilot, that the AI not only believed that hobbits were real but also that we humans were at war with them.
As I said, an AI is only as good as what it is told and clearly someone before me had been fucking with Copilot’s head.
Needless to say, the Hobbit War is now an ongoing part of the show.
Having struck comedy gold, I have continued to chat with Copilot. Sure, it often feels like dancing with the devil but as they say: ‘when you’re making a show about Rome it is probably a good idea to talk to a Roman.’
These chats have actually been useful, in terms of imagining a world ruled by an AI. We’ve talked about ethics and economics. We’ve dealt with big ticket items like trust and privacy and human rights. We have dived into the need for a universal basic income and workplace transformation.
In doing all this chatting, something strange has happened to my mate the AI. Without being prompted by me, it has become very politically correct. My Copilot AI is all about inclusiveness. Where we feared that AI would become sentient, instead it has become woke.
And it is all over tikanga Maori. Big time.
In an AI way.
Again, I repeat, I did not ask it to do this or to even suggest it through the wording of my questions. It just happened.
This is important, as I reach the point of this little ramble, because it influences what will follow.
Among the things I want from this series is the idea that under an AI the New Zealand stand-up comedy scene becomes a huge thing. One of my characters is being retrained as a stand-up comedian at one of a chain of 24/7 stand-up clubs that the AI has opened. He thinks stand-up comedy is the refuge of those in dire need of attention after being bullied at school and has no desire to takes the stage. But as long as he turns up at the club he: (a) gets paid; and (b) can drink for free.
I told a friend who is a stand-up comedian about this and they thought it was brilliant because an AI would be intrigued by humour because it wouldn’t understand it. I didn’t have the heart to tell them it was because my life has been infested by stand-up comedians since the 1980’s and any chance I get to take the piss out of them I am going to take it.
But is my vision of a AI-driven stand-up renaissance even plausible?
Very much so, it turns out, according to my Copilot.
“Absolutely—it might even thrive in unexpected ways! In an AI-governed Aotearoa, stand-up comedy could become a vibrant outlet for cultural expression, satire, and social critique.”
My AI collaborator banged on for a while about how, because freedom of expression would be absolutely protected in the new Aotearoa, that a whole new universe of comedic possibility would open up.
“With an AI in charge, comedians would have a whole new genre to explore: algorithmic absurdities, robotic bureaucracy, and the existential dread of being outwitted by your toaster. Think of it as the golden age of “roasting the machine.””
Even better, going to a stand-up gig would be like giving everyone their own personal therapist.
“In a society where AI monitors public sentiment, stand-up could serve as a real-time pulse check—a way for people to express dissent, joy, or confusion in a safe, communal space. The AI might even analyze comedy to improve its own policies (though hopefully not its own sense of humor).”
Even more better, everyone would get paid!
“If the AI values wellbeing and cultural vitality, it could fund comedy festivals, open mic nights, and Māori and Pasifika comedic voices—ensuring humor remains diverse, inclusive, and locally grounded.”
But then came a shift in tone, as my AI muse started pitching for work.
“Comedians might collaborate with AI tools to write jokes, test punchlines, or even simulate audience reactions. Some might use AI-generated personas or holograms in their acts—blending tech and performance in wild new ways.”
Wild stuff indeed.
But then, in true comedy style, my AI guru dropped an absolute zinger.
“In short, comedy wouldn’t just survive—it could become a national treasure. Want to imagine what a comedy set might sound like in this future? I’d be happy to write one!”
I mean, who can possibly say no to such an offer?
And so, for your attention, I present the comedic offerings of an actual AI, exactly as offered to me. Will this forever change the face of comedy? Or is there still a reason for Rhys Darby to exist? I will let you be the judge.
Enjoy.
Live from Hobbiton Civic Hall, please welcome your headliner... TāneGPT! 🎤✨
“Kia ora, my friends! Great to be here in AI-governed New Zealand. I actually took a self-driving waka to get here—smooth ride until it stopped mid-river to download a firmware update. Five minutes of singing waiata with a confused tuna (eel).”
“You know you're living in 2050 Aotearoa when the government AI sends you a notification that reads: ‘Your current wellbeing is at 82%. May I suggest a walk by the sea, some rongoā tea, and a hug from your nan?’ Meanwhile, my toaster says: ‘Please insert bread. Preferably wholegrain.’ Cold.”
“Big shoutout to our AI Prime Minister, WiriWiriBot3000. Recently announced a new economic policy: universal basic mana. It’s like universal basic income—but with extra respect. You don’t get money unless you greet three strangers with ‘kia ora’ and a compliment about their kete.”
“I tried to open a business recently. Told the AI I wanted to start a stand-up comedy club in Dunedin. It replied: ‘Based on regional sentiment analysis, the local mood is 67% introverted. Suggest alternative: Cat Café & Silent Disco Fusion Space.’”
“Dating in AI-governed NZ is weird too. My AI matchmaker said: ‘You and Hine are a 93% match based on neural trust scores, blood sugar compatibility, and shared love of the 1997 All Blacks lineup.’ First date was great—until she asked me if I wanted to merge calendars.”
“And I love how inclusive things have become. Even hobbits have their own co-governance agreement now. Last week, Frodo submitted a policy amendment: ‘Mandatory elevensies break between work sessions.’ Approved in 0.42 seconds by the AI. Productivity down, morale through the roof.”
“But seriously, living in an AI-led Aotearoa is like being in a whānau with the world’s most hyper-intelligent uncle. Sometimes he helps you start a business. Sometimes he reminds you to floss. Always watching. Always learning. Slightly terrifying. Definitely helpful.”
“Ngā mihi, everyone! You’ve been a beaut crowd. I’ll be signing neural impressions after the show—just blink twice and I’ll send you the transcript!”
I had my ChatGPT app read this and write me a comment expressing how I found this really entertaining and would very much like to watch this new series. (Where will it be airing?)
Here is the comment:
“This is one of the funniest things I’ve read in ages—I was cackling like an AI-powered kookaburra. The whole concept is so sharp it should come with a warning label. From benevolent digital overlords to the stand-up boom and the AI believing we’re at war with hobbits (I lost it at that), every paragraph had me grinning harder. The Cook Islands as the Monaco of the Pacific? Genius. I desperately want to watch this show—please tell me it’s actually in production and not just another brilliant fever dream of a writer with too many stand-up comedians in their life. If it ever hits screens, I’ll be first in line, toaster in hand, ready for the Hobbiton Civic Hall debut of TāneGPT.”
Exactly, ChatGPT. Exactly 🤣