Seth MacFarlane has revealed that the team behind the comedy series Ted used artificial intelligence to make him resemble former U.S. President Bill Clinton in the show’s second season.
MacFarlane clarified that the decision was made by the production team. They experimented with several different techniques before choosing AI to achieve the final look.
He explained that earlier attempts simply did not work on screen and ended up looking strange.
AI used by Ted production team to create Bill Clinton look
Seth MacFarlane says they used AI to make him look like Bill Clinton in ‘TED’ Season 2.
“It's an interesting example of how AI can be used as a tool… We tried prosthetics, we tried traditional CGI, everything else just looked terrifying”
(Source: @AP) pic.twitter.com/g4v2rZaFmd
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 6, 2026
MacFarlane said the creators first tried traditional Hollywood methods. The team experimented with prosthetic makeup to recreate Clinton’s face.
But the prosthetics did not look convincing on camera. The result felt unnatural and distracting during scenes.
The production team also tested standard CGI techniques. However that option did not deliver the realism they needed either.
MacFarlane said every version they tried looked unsettling. In his words, the earlier attempts looked terrifying.
Because of this, the team eventually turned to artificial intelligence to adjust his appearance digitally.
Seth MacFarlane calls AI a useful tool in filmmaking
MacFarlane described the experience as an example of how AI can help creative projects. He said the technology worked more like a tool rather than replacing actors.
The AI system helped reshape certain facial features so that his appearance could resemble Bill Clinton more closely.
According to MacFarlane, the final result looked much more natural than the earlier methods.
The moment also highlights how film and television productions are starting to experiment with AI technology. Many creators now see it as a practical tool for solving visual challenges that traditional effects sometimes cannot handle.