Couple reimagines Friends characters as toddlers
You’ll be hard-pressed to find an episode of Friends you haven’t seen since the iconic ’90s sitcom is still as popular with audiences as it was years ago.
But a couple has now reimagined the infamous cast as you’ve never seen them before – as toddlers.
Luca Allievi and his partner Anna, both 33, from London, started making AI images “for fun” while their one-year-old daughter Celeste slept.
The pair have taken social media wild with their realistic baby photos of public figures including Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.
And now they have transformed Rachel, Ross, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe into young children.
The show follows the six protagonists from twentysomethings in New York City to adulthood in careers and personal relationships
Luca and Anna admit they were surprised by the response from their followers — with many commenters praising their Friends recreations as “so cute,” “dead on,” and “absolutely adorable.”
They used crafted prompts — instructions to the software — for descriptions of the Friends characters to tell the AI to reimagine themselves as babies.
The show follows the six protagonists of twenty-somethings in New York City until they show maturity in careers and personal relationships, with much of the show focusing on their catch-ups at a coffee shop – Central Perk.
But the AI project, on the other hand, offers a hilarious – if not terrifyingly strange – glimpse into the seasoned New Yorkers as little kids.
Rachel Green’s toddler alter ego looks bizarrely stylish for a young child, sporting the TV fashionista’s signature stylized, highlighted locks — courtesy of Jennifer Aniston — and a chic outfit.
Meanwhile, mini Monica Geller, played by Courtney Cox, seems to have been inspired by the cheeky personality of the beloved chef, looking exasperated in a black hoodie.
The younger version of Phoebe Buffay is perhaps the most unrecognizable, with a less obvious Lisa Kudrow-esque face – but still sporting the quirky character’s signature stylized boho waves and hippie-inspired outfit.
Hilariously, even as a toddler, Chandler Bing, played by Matthew Perry, seems overworked and ready to use a sarcastic barb.
Rachel Green’s toddler alter-ego looks bizarrely stylish for a young child, sporting the TV fashionista’s signature stylized, highlighted locks and chic outfit
Meanwhile, mini Monica Geller appears to have taken inspiration from the beloved chef’s sassy personality as she looks annoyed in a black hoodie
The younger version of Phoebe Buffay is perhaps the most unrecognizable, with a less obvious Lisa Kudrow-esque face – but still sporting the quirky character’s signature stylized boho waves and hippie-inspired outfit
His younger AI self isn’t just wearing a baggy, baggy 90s suit — he also has a forehead wrinkle and a head full of slicked-back locks.
The recreation of Monica’s brother Ross Geller, David Schwimmer, sees the paleontologist-to-be in formal attire and with his trademark, concerned look.
The most relaxed of the three guys is actor and charmer Joey Tribbiani, Matt LeBlanc, who smiles at the camera in what appears to be an audition headshot.
But oddly enough, he appears to be sporting a blond bob, as opposed to the raven-black locks of New York’s Casanova.
Luca, a biotechnologist from Milan, Italy, said that while the creative endeavor began as a bit of a “game,” he felt the images created were “really realistic.”
Hilarious Even As A Toddler Chandler Bing Looks Overworked And Ready To Make A Sarcastic Comment
The recreation of Monica’s brother Ross Geller sees the paleontologist-to-be in formal attire and with his trademark concerned look
The most relaxed of the three boys is actor and charmer Joey Tribbiani, who smiles at the camera in what appears to be an audition photo.
Anna, who sells machine parts and has praised her partner’s “fantastic imagination,” called their work “something futuristic” that “evolves so fast.”
Luca first tried to imitate puppies and cats as their favorite characters before doing the same with babies.
“We have our own cats and love animals, so we tried to emulate cats as characters from sagas like Harry Potter,” he explained.
The creative couple uses Midjourney software to enter prompts and commands to create images by referencing billions of images online.
“The process isn’t time-consuming,” Anna revealed. “The long part is thinking about what you want.”
Luca agreed, stressing that you should “use the right words in the prompt.”
“The order of the words is important,” he added. “You have to describe the person and adjust the prompts as the software evolves.”
The pair are taking requests from their fans and have also used AI to suggest baby Disney villains, Harry Potter characters and singers.
Much of the show focused on their catch-ups at a coffee shop – Central Perk – where a couple even work at one point
The cast pictured, with James Corden, during a recent reunion special discussing the show’s legacy
While Anna and Luca love the technology for their artwork, they recognize its more sinister side.
“Sometimes it’s scary and too specific,” Anna admitted.
“It can be dangerous,” Luca also warned. “Some people use it for fake news.”
It’s distressing that fears of artificial intelligence coming to life may soon be validated, as a new study finds OpenAI’s latest version of ChatGPT demonstrates human-like reasoning.
GPT-4, used to power Microsoft’s Bing Chat feature, was asked to “stack a book, nine eggs, a laptop, a bottle, and a nail in a stable manner.”
The system arranged the items so that the eggs wouldn’t break, and indicated how to place them on top of each other – starting with the book and ending with the nail.
It also commented on arranging the items so that the eggs don’t crack – something only humans could fully understand.