Listen, we’re big fans of underrated and lesser-known LGBTQ+ fictional characters here at Them, but we have to be the bearer of bad news: despite what Google’s new “artificial intelligence” bot might have told you, queer Star Wars icon Slurpy Faggi does not actually exist.
Google has spent the last few weeks rolling out a suite of new AI tools including “AI Overview,” which theoretically uses a generative large language model (LLM) to summarize top search results. Users immediately started reporting major problems with the tool, including results that encouraged them to eat rocks and glue, contained instructions to create mustard gas instead of cleaning solution, and speculated that people with dark skin could stare into the sun for up to 30 minutes.
It was only a matter of time before AI Overview’s wild assertions affected search results for pop culture, too. This week, X (formerly Twitter) user @computer_gay shared an image of his search results for the query “are there gay star wars characters,” which began with an AI Overview response informing them of Star Wars’ long-forgotten gay pioneer: Slurpy Faggi, alleged to be in a committed relationship with his boyfriend, Dr. Butto.
The screen capture is of dubious authenticity, with some on social media pointing out that because the phrase “Slurpy Faggi” has never appeared online before, it’s unlikely Google’s LLM could have pulled it from a website. Despite Slurpy Faggi and Dr. Butto absolutely sounding like monikers J.K. Rowling would give to gay Star Wars characters, neither of these two characters with parodically homophobic names actually exist (outside of the many, many memes that have already been created celebrating the Faggi-Butto union). As fans of the series may be aware, despite the films’ general lack of LGBTQ+ representation, official Star Wars video games and comic books have introduced several queer and nonbinary characters.
AI Overview has, however, apparently dabbled in some Pokémon and Mario Kart-themed shitposting. In results identifying LGBTQ+ characters in those series (which seem to be cribbed especially from humor articles originally published in queer publications like Autostraddle and Out), users reported that Overview tried to help by offering representation like Koopa Troopa (“a trans man who was dishonorably discharged from the military”) and Bulbasaur (“a plant-loving queer who often says ‘Mother Earth’”). (Once again, as fans may be aware, both the Mario series and Pokémon do contain canonically LGBTQ+ characters.)
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{URL}https://www.them.us/story/google-ai-overview-lgbtq-characters-star-wars-mario-kart-pokemon{/URL}
{Author}Samantha Riedel{/Author}
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{Keywords}Entertainment / TV and Movies,News{/Keywords}
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