Can You Teach Computers To Understand Knock-Knock Jokes?

from the knock-knock dept

Wed, Sep 12th 2007 8:42am — Mike Masnick

We were just discussing how difficult it is for computers to handle certain types of tasks, that are often much better suited for human intelligence. However, that won't stop some from trying to program computers to do all sorts of things, with the latest such effort focused on teaching a computer to understand knock-knock jokes. Knock-knock jokes, of course, are usually based on puns, that involve recognizing how a word is being misused for the sake of humor. It's easy (if groan-inducing) for humans, but extremely difficult for computers. The idea, it seems, is that figuring out how to teach computers to understand humor could go a long way in figuring out ways to program stronger artificial intelligence. At least that's the theory. Of course, this isn't the first time we've talked about computers and their senses of humor. Back in 2001, when some researchers set up a program to pull a Monty Python and find the world's funniest joke -- for a long time, the leading entry was written by a computer (though, eventually the computer-written joke was eclipsed by a human-written joke).

Filed Under: artificial intelligence, knock knock jokes

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dorpus, 12 Sep 2007 @ 8:49am

Culture Specific
As multilingual people know, humor tends to be very culture-specific. I bet it would be harder to explain a knock-knock joke to a Chinese or Japanese speaker than to a computer.

Many jokes that are extremely funny to Americans make no sense, even to other English speakers.
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Buzz, 12 Sep 2007 @ 9:22am

I'll write the other end.
public class JokeResponse
{
___public static void main(String[] args)
___{
______new JokeResponse().go();
___}

___public void go()
___{
______while (1) System.out.println("ha");
___}
}
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ibmihs, 12 Sep 2007 @ 9:48am

Don't forget that
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Heinlein)
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skwash, 12 Sep 2007 @ 9:54am

I'm going to patent the concept of teaching computers to understand knock-knock jokes! Better yet, how about I just patent the process of telling a knock-knock joke!
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TheDock22, 12 Sep 2007 @ 10:31am

I actually laughed...
I like the computer generated joke: "What kind of murderer has moral fibre? a cereal killer." It got a laugh around the office, so I think it's possible to teach a computer humor to some degree.
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matt, 12 Sep 2007 @ 10:36am

I doubt this one is difficult, I think it'd be harder to create a psychoanalytical computer than one that can essentially put together a simple sentence structure:

aka knock knock
who's there
x
x y?
x z
correlated x/y/z.
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Anonymous Coward, 12 Sep 2007 @ 10:43am

"Knock knock!"

"Who's there?"

"9/11"

"9/11 who?"

"I THOUGHT YOU'D NEVER FORGET!"

"I don't get it."
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Chronno S. Trigger, 12 Sep 2007 @ 10:58am

Started fallowing the links...
Not an easy task since most sites outside of techdirt don't keep their files as far back as 2001 but I found the worlds funniest joke.

A couple of New Jersey hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be breathing, his eyes are rolled back in his head. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps to the operator: "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator, in a calm soothing voice, says: "Just take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a shot is heard. The guy's voice comes back on the line. He says: "OK, now what?"

I was hoping for a Monty Python thing where I read it and had a heart attack.
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Name, 12 Sep 2007 @ 11:32am

Re:
Get off your patent tirades. It's not funny.
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Anonymous Coward, 12 Sep 2007 @ 11:41am

You forgot...
Who cares?
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James, 12 Sep 2007 @ 11:57am

Easy
Computer prompts the user, "How do you keep a moron waiting?", user clicks on prompt and computer maxes CPU utilization to 100%.
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Anonymous Coward, 12 Sep 2007 @ 12:20pm

There is no such thing as the world's funniest joke, because everybody has a different sense of humor. Many things may be outright hilarious to one person and downright boring to another. There is no "absolute" type of funny.
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Robert, 12 Sep 2007 @ 1:00pm

Re:
There is no such thing as the world's funniest joke, because everybody has a different sense of humor. Many things may be outright hilarious to one person and downright boring to another. There is no "absolute" type of funny.

That's the point... dufus.
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mike allen, 13 Sep 2007 @ 3:21am

lateral thinking
Of course they want computers to have a sense of humor So come the machine wars robot V humans due around 2050 they can laugh as they kill us
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2008 @ 4:14pm

CAN A COMPUTER BE TRAINED TO UNDERSTAND HUMAN EMOTION
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jim, 1 Dec 2008 @ 4:20am

Re:
There is no such thing as the world's funniest joke, because everybody has a different sense of humor. Many things may be outright hilarious to one person and downright boring to another. There is no "absolute" type laptop AC adapter of funny.
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