Joe Rogan has spent the last few years warning people about artificial intelligence. He has said it all: too smart, too fast, and too powerful. Whether speaking with Elon Musk, Sam Altman, or Ray Kurzweil, the UFC commentator has always expressed a tone of alarm when it comes to AI. In his opinion, artificial intelligence is not only impressive but also terrifying. But this week, the UFC commentator and podcast juggernaut did something unexpected: embrace artificial intelligence. Not cautiously. Not reluctantly. But with a full-blown giggle and a heart emoji.

In a now-viral post, Joe Rogan uploaded a video clip from an old podcast episode featuring the legendary Joey Diaz. In this episode, however, the two were not old guys trading wild stories but being lovely, energetic babies. The UFC commentator captioned the post, “The cutest use of AI yet,” and it’s easy to understand why.

With their enormous baby heads, soft voices, and perfectly timed lip motions, the two looked like they belonged in a Pixar film. And for a man who has spent years warning us that AI will eliminate human creativity, this seemed quite out-of-character for someone like Rogan.

It was surreal, yet wholesome—the type of bizarre internet content that you can’t stop watching. Aside from the giggles, followers instantly saw the irony—this was the same Rogan who previously thought AI would make all human art obsolete.

It is worth noting that this was the same man who had previously speculated that artificial intelligence may affect culture and discourse by replicating the same characteristics that distinguish humans. Yet, here he was, uploading a video that used the same technology to transform his own past clip into something oddly fun.

The JRE host’s complicated relationship with AI has always been one of fascination and fear. While he admires the potential of tools like Midjourney and DALL·E, he is concerned that AI may outcompete human creativity. He previously prophesied in a conversation with Kurzweil that by 2029, AI would not only match a single human’s creative output but would match all of us, which would change the course of human hisotry.

But, just maybe, this baby-faced version of himself broke a large enough smile to let a little acceptance slip through. In fact, fans are glad that Joe Rogan finally had a change of heart, as they could help but find the new avatar endearing.

Joe Rogan fans can’t get enough of Baby Joe

It’s not every day that Joe Rogan transforms into a bald, tattooed toddler, but when he does, the internet takes notice. Fans made sure that they left comments ranging from wide-eyed wonder to belly-aching laughter. One person commented, “Baby Joe so cute with a tattoo 😂,” while another added, “Young Joe Rogan being bald seems just right.”

The bald head on a baby-sized Joe Rogan worked perfectly, and everyone loved it. “Baby Joe laughing is priceless!!! 😍😂,” said one follower. Someone just summarized it with, “Awe, little Joe is so cute,” with no additional explanation being necessary. Even longtime JRE fans couldn’t help but melt when they saw this baby-faced black belt.

But it wasn’t only Joe who stole the show; Uncle Joey had his own mini-fanbase. Fans were equally captivated by Joey Diaz’s AI avatar, which retained his trademark tone and appeared strangely wise for a baby. “Little Uncle Joey,” one remark read, while another laughed out loud at his serious delivery: “‘I’m not trying to be cute here,’ ok buddy.”

The baby Joey part of the video appeared to embody everything fans love about Diaz—raw, humorous, and completely himself. “😂😂 The Joey Diaz baby!” one fan commented. Another fan put it best: “I like how Joey looks like a 45-year-old baby.” Even as a toddler, Joey Diaz managed to seem like he had lived five lifetimes.

Then came the trolls—the good kind. Fans who couldn’t resist taking the joke a step further created their own comedy thread in the comments. “Wym, that’s how I remember the episode 🤨,” one user joked as if the baby edit was just another Tuesday on the JRE. Another deadpanned, “And some people will say that this is AI-generated,” highlighting the irony of how good—and hilariously believable—the video was.

The biggest achievement of the post, however, came in the form of straightforward praise: “Baby Joe and Baby Theo are the BEST use of AI ever.” Fans have spoken—and if AI continues to provide us with material like this, Rogan might be all in. What do you think? Did you like the new avatar? Let us know in the comments.