Much like how Taylor Swift’s discography is made up of over 200 songs, in Upload, there are hundreds of versions of AI Guy that make up the staff of Lakeview. In the Amazon Prime series, this lovable form of artificial intelligence is always hilarious, and the various variants of Owen Daniels’ characters never cease to make me laugh. So, as you can imagine, picking a favorite AI Guy is as hard as “picking a favorite Taylor Swift song,” as director Jeffrey Blitz told me, which means there are too many stellar choices, and it’s impossible.
While speaking about Season 3 of Upload, which just premiered on the 2023 TV schedule, Jeffrey Blitz, who directed the first two episodes of this installment, spoke to CinemaBlend about Owen Daniels’ fan-favorite character (or should I say characters). Obviously, I had to ask which version of AI Guy was his favorite, and using a very apt comparison, Blitz told me, via email:
Picking a favorite AI Guy is like picking a favorite Taylor Swift song: it can only generate outrage. So let me take the easy way out and say that my favorite is Boris Netherlands.
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It’s hard enough to pick my favorite surprise song from the Eras Tour, which means picking a favorite Taylor Swift song in general is basically an impossible and maddening task. The same is true for AI Guy, from the receptionist version of him to the waiter to the elevator operator to some of the more unique versions of the Lakeview assistant, there are too many stellar options to choose from. So, I totally sympathize with Blitz.
I’m also obsessed with his consolation answer, which is Boris Netherlands, the in-universe actor who was paid $1200 so they could use his likeness to create AI Guy. In Swiftie terms, this kind of answer feels like saying "she's perfection, and I can't pick one," which is valid.
Much like how I’m always shocked whenever Swift announces another upcoming project, I’m always amazed by the new variants of AI Guy that show up from season to season in Upload. I’m also always so impressed whenever they have Daniels’ playing multiple versions of his character in one scene. When it comes to shooting moments like that, Blitz told me:
There’s a planning that goes into a scene with multiple AI Guys. Sometimes it’s a simple kind of film-schooly locked off camera, but sometimes it’s a much more complicated approach using a motion control rig and re-running the camera move and scene action multiple times. Often there’s a fun (and exhausting) wardrobe and hair change for Owen, too.
From his typical bellhop costume to his waiter outfit and more, Daniels really does change often, and he really commits to playing every version of AI Guy, and he’s always so entertaining to watch. This character is also such a unique aspect of Upload, and to me, it’s one of the many reasons why Greg Daniels’ comedy is one of the best original series on Amazon Prime.
To see all the versions of AI Guy in action, and to attempt to pick your favorite -- trust me, it's as hard as trying to choose between "Anti-Hero" and "Cruel Summer" -- you can stream the first two episodes of Upload right now with an Amazon Prime subscription. Make sure to keep tuning in too, as new episodes will drop on the platform every Friday.
