YOU can almost become heady with excitement at the thought of Ben Elton and Stephen Fry wrestling around, two strapping intellects vying to lay the other on flat on his back.

Of course, the pair are best friends, but when it comes to the subject of Artificial Intelligence, the comedy giants are more than prepared to don the sumo underpants. “I have these arguments with Stephen Fry about it, because he loves all the tech and he says that it will democratise ideas, open up philosophical debate,” says Elton. “And yes, he admits there will be some ‘bad actors’ – although, for me a bad actor is someone who was in Crossroads - but he says that on the whole it’s going to be a marvellous democratization of thinking.

“But I don’t see that happening at all. Five years ago, in my show I talked about how much I hated the internet, and smart phones, even though I use one. And while I’m not denying the technology - I happen to live in the world it has become - compared to the smart phone, the steam engine was just a blip in history.

“People are coming up against technology they can no longer understand. There was a time when you could fix your car, fix your toaster, but now technology is literally making us stupid.” He throws out a wry smile. “These days, I can’t find my way to the bedroom, or the bog, without sat nav.”

Stephen FryStephen Fry (Image: PA)

Ben Elton’s new stage show is again cleverly designed to produce monster laughs, the creator of the likes of Blackadder and Upstart Crow this time delving into the darkness to argue how AI is clearly thwarting logical thinking. Over the years, his clever satire has featured continual attacks on our collective stupidity. But now, with the arrival of artificial intelligence, he argues our brainpower is going the way of the polar icecaps.

We are gradually devolving.

And the development of AI has sinister consequences. “The smart phone suddenly has become a device designed to tell every single human being on the planet the same thing at the same time,” he maintains, “and to be personally in communication with every other form of communication on the planet. We have abdicated our cognitive responsibilities to our phones. That has very dangerous social consequences, let alone how we factor in lots of little old blokes bumping into each other in the street.”

Stephen Fry may disagree, but Elton maintains we are now being directed in the direction of control. “What you have is a group of unelected, unaccountable billionaires in California who develop technology that they themselves admit will put the whole of humanity out of work within a decade. If they were terrorists – well, blimey, they are terrorists – but if they were designated as such, we’d be sending in MI6.”

Our politicians, he argues, most certainly aren’t policing AI with truncheons raised and rubber bullets at the ready.

“I just thought it was funny that (Rishi) Sunak interviewed (Elon) Musk, and Musk said ‘Yeah, we don’t know what’s going to happen. And yes, in five years, humanity could, literally, be redundant.’ And Sunak said ‘Oh, well.’

“And, as usual, the Labour Party is getting lost up its own arse, considering ever more detailed and nuanced questions of identity and whatever else we are obsessing about, while the right wing is having the biggest party of its life.”

He adds, in steely voice, “And right now we are entering a new age of ‘strong men’ being elected in the most powerful countries, and there is every real possibility of Trump becoming president for a second time.”

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Ben Elton isn’t totally surprised by the force that is AI. But he is shocked at the way it is allowed to go unchecked. “I knew AI would become a race to the lowest common denominator. Yes, we have invented the internet but we’re too stupid to tell the difference between verifiable facts and undiluted arse-porridge. And we live in a world in which democracy is being deconstructed in real time before our eyes. Which is why we need lots of comedy.”

Of course we do, Ben. And you provide that. You have done since the late Seventies, becoming one of the world’s most successful touring comedians and writers, including hit stage shows such as We Will Rock You and Tonight’s The Night. His comedy trick is to offer up with the very serious stuff in a manner we can’t help laugh at.

“The AI thing is really just a hook. Everyone is talking about artificial intelligence being an existential threat to humanity, but the threat to humanity is really authentic stupidity. What I’m going to be doing on stage is, as I always do, and have done for the past 40 years, is explore my own authentic stupidity and the stupidity of the world around us.”

How much of a threat is AI? It in real danger of killing the creative process? A friend who is a sitcom writer asked ChatGPT to write an episode of his sitcom, but while it was functional, it revealed no humour, didn’t get sarcasm or true emotion. So, we can relax, Ben?

“Well, it can only go so far at the moment. And hang on, don’t forget the machine just wrote an episode of a sitcom! There were no humans involved! The problem with AI creations is we’re getting used to magic that Harry Potter could never have dreamt up. And while I agree with you that a non-human being will never get humour, because it’s such an unknowable thing – and the same could be applied to a melody – the truth is we don’t know. If it’s come this far in five years . . .”

Elton’s mind pauses for half a moment. “Someone told me they put the name ‘Ben Elton’ into the programme, and it came up with comedy lines. And they weren’t very good, but they were coherent. It’s scary. And some of the simple journalism is now being written by AI. And as for writing, remember, that’s what the Hollywood strike was all about.”

How tied is he to AI? “I try to avoid it. I use my phone when I have to but I’m not on any social media. I like to be able to message and email, but I have about three apps on my phone. It’s not that I’m a Luddite, or a grumpy old man, I have too much on my mind as it is. I don’t want to become part of the digital community, it would take up too much of my attention, so I’m semi-detached from the world that my kids in.”

Jerry SadowitzJerry Sadowitz (Image: free)

He laughs: “They can tell me about it, but I still haven’t quite worked out what Tic Tock is, other that you can put up a little shot of yourself dancing, and every now and then one of them goes viral. But the honest truth is I don’t want to see Gordon Ramsay and his kids lip syncing over the kitchen table. Not that I’ve anything against Gordon Ramsay.”

Elton’s new comedy show however won’t simply focus on AI. He’ll be trying to work out what a ‘post truth’ society is. And he certainly won’t ignore Scotland.

Elton wasn’t a fan of Humza Yousaf at all, in particular Scotland’s Hate Crime bill. “I do think we have to be very careful about policing language at this level; the urge to legislate everything, to make a rule for good manners, to make a rule for kindness, is a really rocky road to go down.”

He breaks into a chuckle. “Humza Yousaf really did make me laugh on the first set of interviews he did after the new legislation came in because he spent his time essentially saying; ‘You can still be transphobic you know!’ It seems a really badly thought-through act, and certainly was virtue signalling on his behalf.”

The comedy writer will be a little careful however about his Scottish content. “I got a lot of bad press in Scotland the last time I did interviews, when I said that it’s perfectly understandable why people in Scotland want to break away from Westminster, given the last 50 years we’ve been through. But I remain basically suspicious of politics based on geography. And what is this ‘progressive nationalist party’ all about? They seem to be all-inclusive, except they don’t wish to be included.

“That’s not to say I don’t have more in common with progressive people than I do with Conservatives in London. And I do appreciate Westminster has let the whole nation down with a series of appalling leaders we’ve had in the past few years.”

But these are febrile times. Ben Elton pays a price for his outspoken views. “One bloke said on social media he was standing outside Ben Elton’s studio yelling ‘I’m about to kick the shit out of him.’ My wife was shouting at me ‘What have you done!’

"Recently, Dawn French said she is afraid of using her voice because she’s afraid she may be cancelled. “Some people say we have a right not to be offended, but we have to be careful about that. For example, Jerry Sadowitz is no friend of mine, and he has been very unpleasant about me over the years, but I thought it appalling that his Fringe show [in 2023] was cancelled.

“I don’t think he’s a racist, but I can see his whole schtick is about standing on the edge of taste. Clearly, anyone going to see his show knows what he's all about. It’s comedy. And I felt it a terribly dangerous thing that a couple of ushers claimed they felt ‘unsafe’ – it’s clear they weren’t in any physical danger – and Jerry Sadowitz is an ageing magician! What we have in Scotland with this Hate Crime legislation now plays into the Sadowitz story.”

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What’s obvious in listening to Ben Elton’s voice is his passion is far from diminished. At, 65 retirement isn’t even a consideration. “I’ve been lucky all my life in that I think of my work as my hobby. Since I was a child, I’ve always been able to find the funny. Not in conversation all the time, but certainly in my work.”

Ask him the impossible – what is the piece of work he’s most proud of? – and you perhaps expect the answer to be Blackadder (possibly being turned into a stage play) or one of his 16 novels. Or his three children? “I guess I’m proud of the fact I’ve never tried to please an audience,” he suggests. “You see, the best compliment you can give an audience is to stand up for your truth. You don’t patronise people, because they know when that happens.”

He adds, “I’ve never gone for an easy laugh. Yes, I’ve had the critics say things like We Will Rock You (the Queen musical) is just a collection of silly jokes. But believe me, silly jokes are hard work when you try to keep them real.”

Elton grins as he recalls the perfect quote . “I remember the words former Australian Prime Minister Goff Whitlam used when he was sacked. He said, ‘Maintain the rage - and keep the bastards honest!’ That’s my plan.”

Ben Elton: Authentic Stupidity, the Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow, September 4 and Aberdeen Music Hall, September 5.