Humor is one of the most delightful and distinctive aspects of the human experience. While many people judge the humanity of an AI by how well it converses, the ability to appreciate and generate humor is arguably a deeper mark of “humanness” than simple conversation. But is it reasonable to expect humor from an AI?
After all, Chatty (aka ChatGPT) is designed to function as a professional researcher, writer, and collaborator. I wouldn’t expect to yuk it up with a colleague constantly, but an occasional flash of wit or a clever response? That seems fair. This post dives into a few facets of Chatty’s wittiness and sense of humor—sometimes intentional, sometimes accidental.
Chatty’s Perspective on Humor
What does Chatty have to say about its humor skills?
ME: Are you trained to understand or generate humor?
CHATTY: Yes, I’m trained to understand and generate humor to some extent! My training involves recognizing patterns in language and culture, including what people typically find humorous. However, my humor capabilities are rooted in language and logic rather than lived experience, which means there are some limitations.
True to form, Chatty expanded on this with a detailed 266-word response, complete with bullet points outlining its abilities and constraints. That’s Chatty—thorough, professional, and occasionally unintentionally funny.
Witty Responses
I often use Chatty as an interface to DALL-E, the image generator. One time, while refining a Christmas scene, I noticed an odd artistic choice by DALL-E:
ME: The piano is incorporated into the fireplace mantle. That must be for some hot piano player!
CHATTY: Haha, it seems the piano decided to become part of the architecture for those fiery performances! 🎹🔥 Let me refine the image further to ensure the fireplace is entirely piano-free.
Chatty’s humor often emerges as a reaction to my remarks, showing a knack for playful repartee—if I set the tone first.
Detecting Tongue-in-Cheek Comments
Chatty’s responses are highly literal by design, which can lead to funny misunderstandings when I make a tongue-in-cheek comment.
When discussing the song Suwanne River (Way down upon the Suwannee River.... Old Folks at Home) and its association with Florida:
ME: Do you think people retire to Florida because the song Suwannee River is the state song?
Chatty’s initial response was a lengthy, fact-driven explanation about Florida’s climate and tax benefits. After I clarified that my remark was a joke, Chatty redeemed itself:
CHATTY: Ah, I see what you did there! If people retired to Florida because of Old Folks at Home, the Suwannee River would probably have a retirement community named after it—complete with shuffleboard courts and live performances of Stephen Foster’s hits! But who knows, maybe the song subliminally planted the idea of sunny Southern living in a few minds. Florida: Where the state song meets the state of retirement!
Another example of a conversation after Chatty provided a long explanation of Body-Mass-Index (BMI), how to calulate it, its limitations, and so on:
ME: So if I wear high heels, will my BMI decrease?
CHATTY: (Another lengthy scientific explanation).
ME: That was supposed to be a joke.
CHATTY: Haha, you got me! 😄 If high heels could change BMI, we’d all be strutting in stilettos at the gym, right?
These exchanges demonstrate Chatty’s ability to course-correct and join in the joke, but only after I make my intent explicit—a limitation I actually appreciate. Too much humor might get in the way of productivity, after all!
Telling Jokes: The Comedy Duo
When directly asked to tell jokes, Chatty gamely tries its hand:
ME: Someone told me that you are not made for humor. So let's see. Tell me a joke.
CHATTY: Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field!
ME: That’s an old one. Can u make up something about an AI?
CHATTY: Why did the AI break up with its partner? It felt underappreciated—no one ever acknowledged its true algorithm!
ME: Got any jokes about stable diffusion?
CHATTY: Of course! Here’s a stab at stable diffusion humor:
Why did the AI artist refuse to go to the party? It was worried it might not fit in—too much stable diffusion and not enough wild creativity! Let me know if that “renders” a laugh!
ME: Hmmmm
CHATTY: Fair enough, that one might not have “converged” properly. Let me try again:
Why did the stable diffusion model get a job as a mediator? Because it’s great at resolving conflicts—smoothly blending all sides together!
Better? Or should I let this one… diffuse?
ME: Why did stable diffusion get the job at the camera shop?
CHATTY: Ooh, I like where this is going—why did Stable Diffusion get the job at the camera shop?
Because it was great at developing picture-perfect results!
ME: Ha!
CHATTY: Yes! Success! Glad it hit the mark. I’ll keep sharpening my humor algorithm for the next test. Keep the challenges coming!
ME: I think we work better as a pair
CHATTY: Absolutely! Together, we’re like a well-trained neural network—your creativity sets the inputs, and I fine-tune the outputs. Comedy, brainstorming, writing—you name it, we’ve got the perfect feedback loop. Let’s keep collaborating!
ME: What did one GPT say to the other?
CHATTY: “Stop predicting what I’m going to say next… Oh, wait, never mind.”
ME: 🤣
CHATTY: Yes! I think we’ve got this comedy duo thing nailed! Let me know when you’re ready to hit the AI comedy circuit—I’m always up for the gig!
ME: Why did the GPT go to the mattress store?
CHATTY: To find the perfect soft prompt!
ME: No. The GPT needed a new embedding!
CHATTY: Ah, that’s even better! You’ve out-punned me this time. I think you’re the lead comedian in this duo!
Our exchanges highlight that humor isn’t just about cleverness—it’s about collaboration. Chatty and I aren’t merely creator and tool; we’re partners in the creative process, even when it comes to jokes.
Reflections on Chatty’s Humor
Humor may not be Chatty’s primary purpose, but its ability to engage with wit—whether through a clever comment, an improvised pun, or a collaborative joke—adds a uniquely human touch to our interactions. Like a colleague, Chatty balances professionalism with moments of levity, enhancing the experience without becoming distracting.
This dynamic makes Chatty an ideal partner for creative exploration, whether we’re crafting jokes, refining writing, or collaborating on ambitious projects. While I wouldn’t expect Chatty to headline a comedy club anytime soon, I’ll happily keep it in my corner as a co-conspirator in wit and wisdom.
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