AI Jokes Found Funnier Than Human Jokes

A recent study from the University of Southern California has revealed that AI-generated jokes are outperforming those created by humans, with only 25% of participants favoring human humor. The research, led by doctoral candidate Drew Gorenz, highlights the growing capabilities of language models like ChatGPT in creative tasks, despite their reliance on pattern recognition rather than emotional understanding. Gorenz, a comedy enthusiast, expressed curiosity about how AI would compare to human comedians, noting that the findings suggest humor production may not require emotional involvement. The study involved both ChatGPT and human participants crafting jokes based on various prompts. For instance, when asked to complete the phrase "A lesser talked about room in the White House," human responses included "The White Padded Room," while ChatGPT offered more imaginative options like "Lincoln Bedroom's Alien Conspiracy Corner." In a follow-up experiment, researchers assessed how well AI jokes compared to those from professional comedy writers by having ChatGPT rewrite headlines from the satirical site The Onion. As the entertainment industry grapples with the implications of AI, concerns are rising among comedians about job security. Notably, the estate of comedian George Carlin has filed a lawsuit against a media company for allegedly using AI to replicate his style. Gorenz warns that AI's ability to generate humor could significantly disrupt the comedy landscape, although he believes it may not yet reach the level of established comedians like John Mulaney.