Gusto TV is in production on what the Canadian culinary channel is billing as the world’s first food show featuring on-screen characters generated through Artificial Intelligence (AI) software and rendered in post-production.
Set to air on Gusto TV later this year, The Wizard of Sauce stars Toronto food stylist and TikTok personality Kyle Crawford who shares the tips, techniques and secrets of sauce while referencing pop culture, fashion and lifestyle hot buttons.
Shot on a high-concept, non-kitchen set at Gusto TV Studios, the show features three secondary characters: Professor Saussenheimer, Dr. Sauss and Sgt. Sauce-alot. Performed by Crawford in costume and then digitized in post-production and rendered as AI characters, each appears in a 30-second interstitial segment in the average episode.
“We’re constantly looking for new ways to make emotional connections and entertain our viewers. First, there was streaming technology that allowed us to bring the channel to +160 countries,” said CEO Chris Knight, in a release. “Now we have a variety of AIs that open up new narratives and storylines for us to experiment with. Kyle is a great talent who infused soul and camp into his characters. AI allows us to amp that up. We’re excited about where this is taking us.”
Gusto TV is also casting for forthcoming AI project, Some Assembly Required, which will feature a host chef who’ll speak with “Mother Nature,” an AI creation that appears on set via a giant plasma screen. Gusto says the script will be spontaneous and unrehearsed.
“It’s like talking to the Universe while making a rhubarb gastrique,” said Knight.
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