AI’s Joke Generation: Funny or Flop?

Can AI be funny? Google DeepMind researchers explored this question by having 20 professional comedians use AI models like ChatGPT to write jokes.

While AI can spot data patterns and create fantastical images, its comedic prowess is questionable. The study found that while AI could help structure monologues and draft content, the humor it produced was bland and uninspired. Comedians likened the AI’s jokes to outdated cruise ship comedy—hardly the cutting edge of humor.

If you follow my newsletter, you know that I always include an AI-generated joke and the results are mixed, to be honest.

The limitations stem from AI’s reliance on safe, sanitized training data, lacking the edge and surprise that good comedy requires. Models struggled to create humor from minority perspectives, revealing inherent biases. Despite AI’s speed and efficiency, its jokes lacked originality and depth. One comedian compared using AI for humor to creating a “vomit draft” that required significant human refinement.

Is the future of comedy safe from AI’s reach, or will human wit always reign supreme?

Read the full article on MIT Technology Review.

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