Computer can understand jokes

According to New Scientist, past attempts at getting machines to understand humour have failed because it is difficult to programme. Also the people doing the programming are the sort who tell 'jokes' in loud voices at parties and therefore not funny.

However boffin Lawrence Mazlack and boffinette Julia Taylor of the University of Cincinnati have come up with a prototype joke-detection software.

It uses a simple database of words and then supplied the computer with different meanings depending on the context.

The software works out ways that the new words may relate to each other, and what they probably mean. If it can't find a direct meaning it looks around its digital pronunciation guide for similar-sounding words to see if the person has used a pun.

So far it only understand puns which are so obvious that a six year old would get it. It can't do irony or surreal gags so it will be many decades before it understands the British sense of humour. More here. µ