Chatbots are becoming increasingly popular in the workplace, but one thing they have yet to perfect is their ability to be humorous. Researchers in Germany recently tested a chatbot named ChatGPT’s comedic abilities by asking it to tell a joke, and found that the bot’s attempts at humor mostly fell flat. From more than 1,000 jokes the bot delivered, over 90% of them were the same 25 jokes repeated over and over.
Insider also decided to test ChatGPT’s comic powers by asking the bot for 25 jokes. The results were underwhelming, with many jokes feeling like ones that a third-grader would tell. Another test measured ChatGPT’s comedic ability by asking it to produce jokes “in the style of” six working comedians. However, despite some promising results, experts agree that it’s unlikely ChatGPT will be headlining Madison Square Garden any time soon.
Chatbots often have to navigate tricky social cues in order to interact with humans successfully. While ChatGPT is no exception, its lack of true comedic ability highlights the challenge of programming humor into artificial intelligence. W. Kamau Bell, one of the comedians who took part in the test, believes that while the technology may be capable of improving current jokes, true comedic genius will not be found in chatbots any time soon.
As chatbots become more widespread in the workplace, we will likely see further attempts to program humor into their virtual brains. However, for now, it seems that the bot’s strengths lie mainly in more practical areas such as answering FAQs, booking meetings, and other simple tasks. While we may dream of a bot that can truly make us belly laugh, for now, the best jokes will still be coming from human comedians.
