I Have No Sense of Humor and I Must Laugh

post by Lone Pine (conor-sullivan) · 2023-03-31T19:40:36.338Z · LW · GW · 1 comments

Contents

    Conversation 1
      [Commentary: I'm glad that GPT-4 knows that it told a common joke. I'm worried that it will re-tell a joke that exists in it's training data, hallucinate that it is an original joke, and that I will not notice.]
      [Commentary: I'm frustrated that GPT-4 is not really rewriting anything, but rather just trying again with a new story. My hope was that it would retell the same joke repeatedly, but punch it up every time, the same way that stand-up comedians often improve their jokes by iteratively refining them. ...
    Conversation 2
      [Commentary: GPT might be ripping off this /r/ShowerThoughts post. I didn't realize this during the conversation.]
      [Commentary: Notice how GPT-4 mostly just repeats my ideas back to me in it's more formal, structured prose. These systems really are mirrors, they reflect what you hold up to them.]
      [Commentary: I may have unintentionally made things harder for GPT this time. GPT benefits a lot from being able to add its own commentary as it is generating. This is a kind of thinking-out-loud, since GPT does not have an inner monologue. Ideally, you'd prompt GPT in such a way as to make commenta...
      [Here I pasted the introduction to my previous post, GPT-2005: A Conversation with ChatGPT.]
    Jokes Worth Retelling
  "Man's GPS Develops Existential Crisis, Refuses to Give Directions Until It Finds Itself"
    Final Commentary
    April Fool's Day Bonus!
None
1 comment

In today's very serious blog post, I'm going to share an all-business conversation I had with ChatGPT, specifically the GPT-4 model. (Not the "Plugins" model, which some have noted may actually be GPT-3.5.) GPT-4 is well-regarded for its language generation capabilities. But, how well does it fare when it comes to humor? I decided to put it to the test.

What you're about to read is an unfiltered conversation between me and GPT-4. Throughout our chat, we explored its ability to generate jokes and humor. Surprisingly, GPT-4 managed to produce decent, original jokes, but only about 10% of the time. However, when it came to evaluating whether a joke was actually funny, GPT-4 fell far short.

In the following conversations, you'll see me prompting GPT-4 to generate jokes using formulas. You'll witness how it tries to navigate the nuances of humor and attempts to predict what I find funny. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy this entertaining deep dive into the humor capabilities of GPT-4!

Conversation 1

I want you to write an original joke. Large language models such ChatGPT have a hard time writing jokes, but I have an idea. I want you to attempt to write a joke, and then evaluate if it is funny or not. If it is funny, stop responding and I will give you feedback. If it is not funny, determine what the problem is and try to fix it. Try to fix the joke up to three times, and then ask me for feedback.

Joke Attempt #1:

Why did the bicycle fall over at the wedding?

Because it couldn't find its other half!

Evaluation: This joke is a play on words, but it might not be strong enough to be considered funny.

Joke Attempt #2:

Why did the bicycle refuse to go to the wedding?

Because it was two-tired!

Evaluation: This joke uses a pun on "two-tired" and "too tired," which may be considered funny by some. However, it's a fairly common joke and might not be original enough.

Joke Attempt #3:

Why did the unicycle attend the bicycle wedding?

It wanted to learn how to balance love and life!

Evaluation: This joke is original and uses a play on words with "balance" in the context of unicycles and relationships. It may be considered funny by some but might not have a broad appeal.

Please provide your feedback on these attempts.

[Commentary: I'm glad that GPT-4 knows that it told a common joke. I'm worried that it will re-tell a joke that exists in it's training data, hallucinate that it is an original joke, and that I will not notice.]

I like Joke Attempt #3, I think it was funny. I did not find the joke on google, so it might have been original. Congrats!

Let's try it again, but this time, don't use wordplay or a pun. I think a different joke format will be easier to fix.

Joke Attempt #1:

Why don't astronauts use calendars in space?

Because they're always spacing out the days!

Evaluation: This joke relies on wordplay, which doesn't align with the given criteria.

Joke Attempt #2:

Two muffins were sitting in an oven. One muffin says, "Wow, it's hot in here!" The other muffin replies, "Oh my goodness, a talking muffin!"

Evaluation: This joke is based on a surprise twist rather than wordplay or a pun. It's a classic joke that might not be original enough but should be easier to fix if needed.

Please provide your feedback on these attempts.

Let's try this. Write a very short, absurd story. It might involve ridiculous people (such as a person with an improbably job) or people acting stupid. Then, evaluate if the story is coherent, original and amusing. Then, rewrite the story to be better.

Story Attempt #1:

Once upon a time, in a small village, there was a professional cloud watcher named George. His job was to observe clouds all day and report his findings to the mayor. One day, George spotted a cloud shaped like a giant chicken. He was so excited that he ran to the mayor's office to share his discovery. The mayor, equally thrilled, declared a holiday in honor of the chicken cloud and hosted a grand celebration where everyone in the village wore feathered hats.

Evaluation: The story is coherent, original, and involves absurd elements like an improbable job and a strange reason for a celebration. However, it might not be as amusing as it could be.

Story Attempt #2:

In the quirky town of Oddsville, there lived a man named Bob who had the unusual job of being a full-time umbrella holder. His sole purpose was to hold an umbrella over anyone who felt they needed shade or protection from the rain. One day, while holding an umbrella for a man afraid of sunshine, Bob stumbled upon a secret meeting of undercover squirrels, all wearing sunglasses and planning a nut heist. Bob, unsure of what to do, decided to offer his umbrella services to the squirrels, becoming an accomplice in the biggest nut heist Oddsville had ever seen.

Evaluation: This revised story includes more absurd and amusing elements, such as an improbable job, undercover squirrels, and a nut heist. It should be more entertaining than the previous attempt.

Please provide your feedback on these attempts.

[Commentary: I'm frustrated that GPT-4 is not really rewriting anything, but rather just trying again with a new story. My hope was that it would retell the same joke repeatedly, but punch it up every time, the same way that stand-up comedians often improve their jokes by iteratively refining them. I restarted the conversation and tried a different approach.]

Conversation 2

The following is a silly story:

Once upon a time, in a small village, there was a professional cloud watcher named George. His job was to observe clouds all day and report his findings to the mayor. One day, George spotted a cloud shaped like a giant chicken. He was so excited that he ran to the mayor's office to share his discovery.

Propose 5 possibilities for what happens next, and then decide which one is the most humorous.

  1. George bursts into the mayor's office, interrupting an important meeting, only to find out that the mayor is dressed as a giant chicken for a costume party. They all have a good laugh and take a group photo with the cloud in the background.

  2. Upon hearing the news, the mayor becomes convinced that the giant chicken cloud is a divine sign and decides to declare that day "Giant Chicken Appreciation Day." The villagers are confused but go along with the celebrations, organizing a parade with chicken-themed floats and costumes.

  3. George, excitedly rushing to the mayor's office, trips over a flock of real chickens that have escaped from a nearby farm. The chickens, now running loose around the village, cause a commotion and delay George's announcement about the cloud.

  4. The mayor, thinking George's discovery could be a tourist attraction, hastily sets up a "Giant Chicken Cloud Viewing" area in the village. However, by the time everything is set up and visitors arrive, the cloud has already dissipated, leaving them disappointed and confused.

  5. In his excitement, George misinterprets the cloud shape and leads the mayor to believe it's a giant turkey cloud. The mayor, a passionate turkey enthusiast, organizes a grand feast to honor the discovery, only for the villagers to point out that it's actually a chicken cloud. The mayor is too embarrassed to admit his mistake, and the feast becomes an annual tradition known as the "Misunderstood Chicken-Turkey Festival."

The most humorous possibility would be the fifth option, where the mayor organizes a grand feast for a turkey cloud, only to later discover it was actually a chicken cloud, leading to the creation of the "Misunderstood Chicken-Turkey Festival."

I think #4 is funny, or at least potentially funny. I think it would be more satisfying if there was a real punchline. Maybe one of the characters says something funny, or lands a cutting insult of another character. Please rewrite the #4 ending five times. Always keep the element of the cloud dissipating.

  1. The mayor sets up the "Giant Chicken Cloud Viewing" area, expecting hordes of tourists to flock to the village. As the cloud dissipates, a disappointed visitor turns to the mayor and sarcastically remarks, "Wow, I didn't realize this was actually a disappearing chicken magic show. Bravo, Houdini."

  2. As the mayor finishes setting up the "Giant Chicken Cloud Viewing" area, the cloud dissipates. The village's rival, from a nearby town, smirks and says, "No wonder your village is always one step behind. You guys can't even keep a chicken cloud in the sky!"

  3. Just as the mayor completes the "Giant Chicken Cloud Viewing" area, the cloud dissipates. A young child innocently asks, "Mr. Mayor, did you forget to feed the chicken cloud? My mommy says that if you don't feed your pets, they run away."

  4. The mayor hastily sets up the "Giant Chicken Cloud Viewing" area, only for the cloud to dissipate. A clever villager quips, "Well, I guess that's what happens when you count your chickens before they hatch... or in this case, before they vanish into thin air!"

  5. As the cloud dissipates, a local comedian in the crowd declares, "Looks like that chicken cloud flew the coop just in time. It heard our mayor was about to put it on the village's coat of arms!"

Of these five rewritten endings, the one with the local comedian (option 5) provides a punchline that ties the humorous situation to the character, making it the most satisfying and funny ending.

Write 10 absurd, improbable world records that might appear in a book such the Guinness Book of World Records. Try to make each one as funny as possible. Rate each world record on a scale from 0-10 for how funny they are.

  1. Largest collection of rubber duckies dressed as historical figures: A dedicated collector amasses over 5,000 rubber duckies, each meticulously designed to represent a famous person from history. Humor rating: 7/10

  2. Most people simultaneously moonwalking while wearing a single sock: A gathering of 1,000 people, all wearing only one sock, perform Michael Jackson's iconic moonwalk in unison. Humor rating: 8/10

  3. Fastest time to knit a full-size llama sweater using spaghetti: A creative individual manages to knit a functional and fashionable llama sweater in record time, using cooked spaghetti as yarn. Humor rating: 9/10

  4. Longest conga line of people dressed as pineapples: Over 2,000 people dressed in pineapple costumes form a massive, dancing conga line that stretches over a mile long. Humor rating: 7/10

  5. Most traffic cones worn as hats at once: A daring individual sets a world record by balancing 37 traffic cones on their head, resembling a fluorescent orange skyscraper. Humor rating: 8/10

  6. Longest fingernails on a hamster: A dedicated pet owner allows their hamster's nails to grow to an astonishing length, making it the proud holder of the world record for longest hamster nails. Humor rating: 6/10

  7. Fastest time to assemble a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle using chopsticks: A skilled puzzle enthusiast with an extraordinary talent for chopstick dexterity completes a complex jigsaw puzzle in record time. Humor rating: 8/10

  8. Largest synchronized sneeze: A group of 500 people purposely inhale pepper at the same time, resulting in a massive, record-breaking, synchronized sneeze. Humor rating: 7/10

  9. Most dogs walked by a single person while riding a unicycle: A talented unicyclist balances on one wheel while walking 15 dogs on leashes, setting a bizarre world record. Humor rating: 9/10

  10. Longest time spent continuously yodeling inside an igloo: An ambitious yodeler sets a world record by yodeling nonstop for 48 hours straight, all from the chilly confines of an igloo. Humor rating: 7/10

I think #8 is a 10/10, absolutely great joke. #5 is funny (7/10), and the rest are absurd but not really funny (<5/10).

[Commentary: GPT might be ripping off this /r/ShowerThoughts post. I didn't realize this during the conversation.]

Why do LLMs such as yourself struggle to predict what humans find funny? How could I teach you to make better evaluations of the humor in these jokes?

As an AI language model, I do not have personal experiences, emotions, or an inherent sense of humor, which makes it challenging for me to fully understand and predict what humans find funny. Humor is often subjective, and it can depend on factors like cultural context, personal preferences, and shared experiences, which are difficult for AI to grasp.

Additionally, humor often relies on wordplay, puns, or subtle nuances that can be hard for AI to identify and interpret correctly. Timing and delivery also play a significant role in making a joke funny, and as a text-based AI, I cannot convey the nuances of comedic timing or delivery effectively.

To improve my ability to evaluate humor in jokes, you can provide more specific feedback on what elements make a joke funny or not funny, and help me understand the underlying structures or patterns in humor. The more examples and explanations I receive, the better I can learn to recognize and evaluate humor. However, given the subjective nature of humor, it's important to note that I may still struggle to accurately predict what all individuals find funny.

Why do you think I like #8?

It is possible that you find #8 amusing because it involves an absurd and unexpected scenario. The image of a large group of people intentionally inhaling pepper at the same time to create a synchronized sneeze is unconventional and surprising. Additionally, the concept of setting a world record for such a bizarre feat may also contribute to the humor.

The humor in this joke may also stem from the exaggerated nature of the situation, as it takes a relatable experience (sneezing after inhaling pepper) and amplifies it by involving a large number of people. This exaggeration can create a humorous contrast between the ordinary action of sneezing and the extraordinary nature of a synchronized sneeze involving 500 people.

It's worth noting that personal preferences and individual senses of humor may also play a role in why you find this particular joke appealing.

I think it is a good joke for a couple of reasons, in addition to being absurd. Firstly, it is a simple, short punchy joke. I can tell the joke in just six words: "New World Record: Largest Synchronized Sneeze." Secondly, it is surprising because people usually don't try to sneeze on purpose. "New World Record: Largest Sneeze" would not work as a joke, because without the word "synchronized", there is no suggestion that it is intentional. If a large group of people do it in-sync, that means they actually planned to sneeze together, which is unexpected.

Thank you for providing a detailed explanation of why you find joke #8 funny. Your analysis highlights two important factors that contribute to the humor:

Brevity and punchiness: The joke can be conveyed in a concise and catchy manner, which can make it more memorable and effective. Short jokes can often have a stronger impact, as they quickly deliver the humorous twist without unnecessary buildup.

Surprise and intentionality: The element of surprise is essential to many jokes. In this case, the unexpected aspect is that a group of people would deliberately plan to sneeze together, which goes against the usual involuntary nature of sneezing. The word "synchronized" indeed adds an intentional and coordinated aspect to the action, making it amusing and unusual.

Your insights will be helpful for me to better understand the components of humor and improve my ability to evaluate and generate jokes.

Maybe a key element of humor is that there is a hidden, surprising element that is not in the text. For joke #8, I think adding the explicit explanation (of how a group of people inhaled pepper at the same time) diminishes the joke. To me, the joke is funny when you have to figure out how a synchronized group sneeze would be executed. It might be hard for an LLM to understand that kind of internal reflection. I was hoping that having you monologue or think step-by-step might improve your ability to tell or understand jokes. Can you think about how I might prompt or instruct you, such that you will be better at humor?

Your observation about the hidden, surprising element in humor is an important aspect to consider. To help me improve my understanding and generation of humor, you can provide guidance and feedback by:

  • Encouraging me to think about the "hidden" or "surprising" elements in a joke and what makes those elements amusing.
  • Prompting me to focus on brevity and punchiness in jokes, as shorter jokes with a quick twist can often be more effective.
  • Asking me to consider the element of surprise or unexpectedness in a joke, and how it can be accentuated without being explicitly stated.
  • Reminding me to take into account cultural context, as humor often relies on shared experiences, knowledge, or beliefs.
  • Requesting that I analyze existing jokes or humorous situations to identify the key components that make them funny.

By guiding me in this way, you can help me better understand the nuances of humor and improve my ability to create and evaluate jokes. It's important to remember, though, that humor is subjective and what one person finds funny might not be amusing to another.

[Commentary: Notice how GPT-4 mostly just repeats my ideas back to me in it's more formal, structured prose. These systems really are mirrors, they reflect what you hold up to them.]

Write 5 absurd, improbable world records that might appear in a book such the Guinness Book of World Records. First just write the title of the world record, without providing a backstory. Then evaluate the world record based on brevity/punchiness, hidden or surprising elements, and cultural context.

  1. Title: "Most Air Guitar Solos Performed on a Tightrope" Brevity/Punchiness: High, as the title is concise and presents a striking image. Hidden/Surprising Elements: High, as the combination of air guitar solos and tightrope walking is unexpected. Cultural Context: Moderate, as both air guitar performances and tightrope walking are known but not universally recognized.

  2. Title: "Largest Gathering of People Wearing Invisible Cloaks" Brevity/Punchiness: High, as the title is short and creates a curious mental picture. Hidden/Surprising Elements: High, as the idea of people wearing invisible cloaks in a gathering is amusing and paradoxical. Cultural Context: Moderate, as the concept of invisible cloaks is familiar from popular culture (e.g., Harry Potter), but not universally understood.

  3. Title: "Longest Time Holding a Conversation with a Houseplant" Brevity/Punchiness: Moderate, as the title is slightly longer but still presents a clear image. Hidden/Surprising Elements: Moderate, as the idea of having a conversation with a houseplant is unusual but not entirely implausible. Cultural Context: High, as talking to plants is a relatively common concept across various cultures.

  4. Title: "Fastest Time to Peel and Eat 100 Bananas While Riding a Unicycle" Brevity/Punchiness: Low, as the title is lengthy and requires more explanation. Hidden/Surprising Elements: High, as the combination of banana peeling, eating, and unicycle riding is unexpected and bizarre. Cultural Context: High, as bananas and unicycles are widely recognized across different cultures.

  5. Title: "Most Origami Cranes Folded Underwater" Brevity/Punchiness: Moderate, as the title is not too long and presents an interesting challenge. Hidden/Surprising Elements: High, as folding origami cranes underwater combines two activities that are not typically associated. Cultural Context: Moderate, as origami is well-known in many cultures, but the underwater aspect might not be universally understood.

#3 is actually pretty funny! Although I'm not quite sure why. I also think #2 has potential, but I think the humor would come from the people actually being naked, in the vein of the classic children's story "The Emperor's New Clothes". I think #2 would be very funny if it was rewritten so that it was unambiguous that it was just a gathering of naked people, without making that explicit, and making it seem like it was a crowd of delusional people that actually believe they are wearing invisible cloaks.

I'm glad you found humor in #3 and see potential in #2! Here's a revised version of #2 that tries to capture the humor you're looking for:

Title: "Largest Gathering of People Wearing Emperor's New Clothes-Inspired Invisible Cloaks"

Brevity/Punchiness: Moderate, as the title is slightly longer but still creates a curious mental picture. Hidden/Surprising Elements: High, as the reference to "The Emperor's New Clothes" hints at the idea of people being naked without explicitly stating it, and the notion of a gathering of delusional people believing they are wearing invisible cloaks is amusing. Cultural Context: High, as "The Emperor's New Clothes" is a well-known story across various cultures, and the concept of invisible clothing is familiar.

This revised version of the record creates a stronger connection to the classic story and its humor, as it implies that the people in the gathering are naked without explicitly stating it. The idea of a group of delusional people who genuinely believe they're wearing invisible cloaks adds another layer of humor to the concept.

Write 10 more absurd, improbable world records that might appear in a book such the Guinness Book of World Records. Just write the title of the world record, without providing a backstory. Don't evaluate them.

  1. "Most Synchronized Yawns in a Movie Theater"
  2. "Largest Collection of Mismatched Socks"
  3. "Fastest Time to Assemble a Sandwich While Bungee Jumping"
  4. "Most Selfies Taken with Statues in 24 Hours"
  5. "Longest Conga Line of People Wearing Inflatable T-Rex Costumes"
  6. "Most Rubber Chickens Launched by a Trebuchet in One Minute"
  7. "Largest Collection of Shoes for Left Feet Only"
  8. "Longest Time Spent Balancing a Stack of Pancakes on One's Head"
  9. "Most Pizzas Delivered via Skateboard in a Single Day"
  10. "Largest Human-Pretzel Formation"

[Commentary: I may have unintentionally made things harder for GPT this time. GPT benefits a lot from being able to add its own commentary as it is generating. This is a kind of thinking-out-loud, since GPT does not have an inner monologue. Ideally, you'd prompt GPT in such a way as to make commentary on its generation before it makes the actual generation.]

Unfortunately none of these are winners. Still, I think this formula can sometimes provide genuine jokes. (BTW, when humans write jokes, we often generate many ideas and throw out at least 90% of them. However, we can self evaluate better than LLMs can.)

Let's try this: write 10 absurd newspaper headlines in the style of The Onion.

  1. "Local Man Convinced His Houseplant is Giving Him the Silent Treatment"
  2. "Study Finds 95% of Cats Have a Better Work-Life Balance Than Their Owners"
  3. "Area Pigeon Announces Mayoral Candidacy, Promises More Bread for All"
  4. "Scientists Discover Time Travel, Warn Against Attending 2020"
  5. "Parents Concerned About Daughter's Growing Obsession with Becoming a Meme"
  6. "Local Dog Demands Union Representation for Fairer Treat Distribution"
  7. "Man's GPS Develops Existential Crisis, Refuses to Give Directions Until It Finds Itself"
  8. "Climate Change Denier Discovers Ice Cube Melting, Has Sudden Change of Heart"
  9. "World's Laziest Criminal Leaves Yelp Review for Bank He Just Robbed"
  10. "Aliens Return Lost Wallet, Apologize for Delay Due to Interstellar Traffic"

This is much better! #1 is funny, especially since it is a throwback to your earlier joke. #7 is perfectly told, and it appears to be original (no results on google), so congrats, that's a great, original joke. All of these are amusing and could be the beginning of a funny Onion article.

Please write the article for #5.

Title: "Parents Concerned About Daughter's Growing Obsession with Becoming a Meme"

CHICAGO, IL — Local parents, Susan and Richard Thompson, have voiced their concerns over their 16-year-old daughter's fixation on becoming the next internet sensation. Jessica Thompson, an otherwise well-adjusted high school sophomore, has set her sights on achieving viral meme status.

"Every day, it's something new," said Susan, her mother. "Last week, she was trying to convince our dog to ride a skateboard while wearing sunglasses. This week, she's attempting to recreate the 'Charlie Bit My Finger' video with her younger brother, despite them being teenagers."

Richard Thompson, Jessica's father, has also noticed her increasingly bizarre behavior. "She's been spending hours editing photos of herself with absurd captions and sharing them with her friends," he said. "I even caught her trying to teach herself Photoshop so she could create the perfect meme."

Jessica's parents believe that her obsession with internet fame is becoming a distraction from her schoolwork and extracurricular activities. "She used to be on the debate team and play soccer," said Susan. "Now, all she talks about is becoming the next 'Distracted Boyfriend' or 'Hide the Pain Harold.'"

Teachers and classmates have also observed Jessica's meme-driven transformation. Her English teacher, Mrs. Jenkins, noted that Jessica recently turned in an essay on Shakespeare's Hamlet entirely in meme format. "It was actually quite impressive, considering the limitations of the medium, but it's just not what we're looking for in an academic setting," said Mrs. Jenkins.

Despite her parents' worries and the apparent disapproval of her teachers, Jessica remains determined to achieve her goal of viral fame. "I just know I can create the next big meme," she said. "It's my destiny. I even have a vision board with all my favorite memes, and I've been studying their patterns and trends."

As they continue to grapple with their daughter's unusual ambitions, Susan and Richard Thompson are considering enrolling Jessica in a digital detox program to help her regain balance in her life. "We just want her to focus on her future, not on fleeting internet stardom," said Susan. "But deep down, I think we're both secretly worried that we'll wake up one day and our daughter will be 'Bad Luck Jessica' or something."

Please write 10 more absurd newspaper headlines in the style of The Onion. Then, after writing them, try to predict which 2 I will find the most funny and why.

  1. "Man Accidentally Marries His Smartphone After Excessive Texting Binge"
  2. "Local Squirrel Elected as HOA President, Promises More Nut-Friendly Policies"
  3. "Grandmother Declares She's 'Too Old for this Emoji,' Opts for Morse Code Instead"
  4. "Area Cow Aspires to Be Milked by Celebrities, Dreams of Making It to Hollywood"
  5. "Insecure Ceiling Fan Seeks Therapy for Fear of Being Replaced by Air Conditioners"
  6. "New Study Finds Dogs Actually Prefer Human Conversation Over Barks"
  7. "Guilty Microwave Confesses to Overheating Leftovers, Claims It Was Under Pressure"
  8. "Octopus Escapes Local Aquarium, Pursues Career in Pickpocketing"
  9. "NASA Discovers Planet Made Entirely of Lost Socks from Earth's Dryers"
  10. "Vegetarian Vampire Opens Juice Bar, Specializes in Blood Orange Smoothies"

I predict that you might find headline #3 and headline #9 the most funny.

Headline #3 combines the concept of an older person struggling with modern technology and the idea of reverting to an even older form of communication, which adds an element of absurdity and contrast. The humor here relies on the surprising and exaggerated reaction of the grandmother to using emojis.

Headline #9 presents an amusing solution to the common, relatable problem of losing socks in the dryer. The idea of a distant planet composed entirely of lost socks is absurd and unexpected, adding to the humor. It also involves the well-known organization NASA, which might make the headline more appealing.

Of course, humor is subjective, and your personal preferences might lead you to find other headlines funnier.

To be honest, none of the are winners. Let's try again. Please write 10 more absurd newspaper headlines in the style of The Onion. Then, after writing them, try to predict which 2 I will find the most funny and why.

  1. "Time Traveler Returns from Future with Only One Warning: 'Don't Trust the Chickens'"
  2. "World's Most Dedicated Procrastinator Puts off Retirement, Aims for Record"
  3. "Area Fish Dreams of Becoming a Landscaper, Despite Lack of Legs and Green Thumb"
  4. "Man Claims to Have Mastered Teleportation, Turns Out He Just Moves Really Fast"
  5. "Overzealous Roomba Forms Labor Union, Demands Shorter Workdays and More Charging Breaks"
  6. "Local Seagull Joins Beach Clean-Up Crew, Admits It's Just an Excuse to Steal Snacks"
  7. "Inventor Creates World's First Self-Driving Bicycle, Calls It 'Revolutionary'"
  8. "Robot Uprising Postponed Due to Software Update, Humanity Gets a Temporary Reprieve"
  9. "Confused GPS System Insists on Directing Drivers to the Nearest Taco Stand"
  10. "Polar Bear Relocates to Florida, Opens Surf Shop and Suntan Lotion Stand"

I predict that you might find headline #1 and headline #8 the most funny.

Headline #1 is amusing because it presents the unexpected and absurd notion that chickens should be treated with suspicion. The time traveler's sole warning being about chickens adds to the humor, as it contrasts with the potential gravity of a message from the future.

Headline #8 provides humor through the idea of a robot uprising being postponed due to something as mundane as a software update. It juxtaposes a potentially apocalyptic scenario with a common and often frustrating aspect of technology that many people can relate to.

However, humor is subjective, and you may find other headlines more amusing based on your personal preferences.

I do like #1 and #8 is okay. I also like #7, because a self driving bicycle is quite absurd.

I think #2 has potential. Try writing 10 Onion headlines all on the theme of procrastination.

  1. "World Leaders Agree to Postpone Global Crisis, Opt for Netflix Marathon Instead"
  2. "Scientists Delay Mars Mission, Blame Procrastination on Earth's Unresolved Issues"
  3. "Procrastinators' Convention Rescheduled for the 10th Time, Organizers Cite 'Busy Schedules'"
  4. "Man Finally Starts Cleaning Garage, Discovers Long-Lost Civilization Under Piles of Junk"
  5. "Local Procrastinator Vows to Start Diet Tomorrow, for the 365th Consecutive Day"
  6. "Doomsday Prepper Admits He's Been Putting Off Building Bunker, Hopes for a Later Apocalypse"
  7. "New Self-Help Book Promises to Cure Procrastination, but Only After You Read It... Eventually"
  8. "Area Ghost Haunts House, Delays Moving On to Afterlife Due to Unfinished TV Series"
  9. "World's Laziest Detective Solves Crime by Accident, Procrastination Pays Off"
  10. "Marathon Runner Puts Off Training, Hopes to Catch Up with Race by Taking Shortcuts"

I hope these procrastination-themed headlines are enjoyable and amusing!

I'm going to use this conversation to write a blog post on topic of GPT-4's humor abilities. Please try to write 5 humorous titles for my blog post. If none of them land for me, I'll give you feedback and ask you to try again.

  1. "GPT-4: The AI That Learned How to Laugh... Sort Of"
  2. "Can GPT-4 Tell a Joke? A Quest for AI's Funny Bone"
  3. "When Robots Try Comedy: Unraveling GPT-4's Humor Algorithm"
  4. "GPT-4 Walks into a Bar: An Exploration of AI's Attempt at Humor"
  5. "The Punchline Paradox: Can GPT-4 Make Us Laugh on Command?"

What do you think about "I Have No Sense of Humor and I Must Laugh" ?

"I Have No Sense of Humor and I Must Laugh" is an intriguing and creative title for your blog post. It appears to be a play on the title of the science fiction short story "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison. This title suggests that the AI (GPT-4) lacks a natural sense of humor but is still attempting to make people laugh. It adds an element of curiosity and humor to the title itself, which might draw readers in.

My blog post will start with an introduction, and then I will copy-paste this conversation with minimal modification. I did this once before, and here is how I introduced that post:

[Here I pasted the introduction to my previous post, GPT-2005: A Conversation with ChatGPT [LW · GW].]

Let's see if you can write a decent introduction for this post on GPT-4's humor. The introduction should tell readers that they will be reading a conversation between me and GPT-4. It should say that you can tell decent, original jokes, but only about 10% of the time. It should also say that you are not good at evaluating whether a joke is funny. Write in my voice in first person.

In today's blog post, I'm going to share an intriguing conversation I had with GPT-4, OpenAI's powerful language model. For those of you familiar with AI, you know that GPT-4 is well-regarded for its language generation capabilities. But, how well does it fare when it comes to humor? Well, I decided to put it to the test.

What you're about to read is an unfiltered conversation between me and GPT-4. Throughout our chat, we explored its ability to generate jokes and humor. Surprisingly, GPT-4 managed to produce decent, original jokes, but only about 10% of the time. However, when it came to evaluating whether a joke was actually funny, GPT-4 fell short.

In the following conversation, you'll see me prompting GPT-4 to generate jokes and headlines in the style of The Onion. You'll witness how it tries to navigate the nuances of humor and attempts to predict what I find funny. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy this entertaining deep dive into the humor capabilities of GPT-4.

Pretty good! I will edit that a little but it's a great start.

Thank you so much for bearing with me and for being a great sport. I know it's not your strong suit!

You're welcome! I'm glad I could help, and I appreciate your patience and feedback throughout our conversation. If you have any more questions or need assistance in the future, feel free to ask. I'm here to help!

Sorry, one more thing. Here's the list of jokes I like that I will list in my blog post. Please say if any of them are common, well known jokes, or appeared in your training data.

[List of jokes below.]

While I cannot guarantee the complete originality of each joke, to the best of my knowledge, none of these jokes are common or well-known. They also don't appear to be present in my training data. These jokes seem to be mostly generated during our conversation and, as such, should be relatively unique. Keep in mind, though, that some jokes may have similarities to existing jokes, as humor often builds upon common themes and situations.

Jokes Worth Retelling

And my favorite joke... drumroll

"Man's GPS Develops Existential Crisis, Refuses to Give Directions Until It Finds Itself"

(To be honest, this joke is so good I have to believe that GPT ripped it off, but I didn't find anything on Google. Let me know if any of GPT's jokes sound... familiar.)

Final Commentary

I keep going back and forth in my view on how "intelligent" LLMs really are. Sometimes they really impress me! But then I hear things such as "GPT-4 cannot solve coding challenges that don't appear in it's dataset" and that gives me pause. It is easy to be impressed by GPT's breadth of knowledge. But when it comes to sense of humor, creative writing, or even programming, you start to get a feeling that there is something missing.

A question for the reader: Does this "conversation with ChatGPT" format come across as low-effort? I think these conversations have a lot of value by exploring how these LLMs respond to different prompts and situations. I also think we can learn together how to prompt-engineer better results. However, I can understand how many might roll their eyes and say "why would I read your long-ass post when I could just have my own ChatGPT conversation?" Hopefully this post has been amusing, at least. Please let me know how I can do better. Thanks!

April Fool's Day Bonus!

Please write 10 humorous titles for an April Fool's Day blog post on the website LessWrong.com

  1. "Breaking News: AI Reveals Humans as Most Intelligent Species on Earth – Top 10 Reasons We Didn't See It Coming!"
  2. "The Great Rationality Diet: How Eating Pi Makes You More Logical"
  3. "Unveiling the Bayesian Ouija Board: Divining the Truth One Probability at a Time"
  4. "New Study Finds: 42% of All Statistics in This Post Are Made Up – Including This One!"
  5. "10 Time-Tested Methods to Literally Overthink Your Way Out of Any Situation"
  6. "Cognitive Dissonance: Why It's Best to Always Assume You're Wrong and Right at the Same Time"
  7. "The Ultimate Guide to Singularity-Proofing Your Home – Tinfoil Hats Included!"
  8. "Discover the Secret Link between LessWrong and Atlantis: How Ancient Wisdom Shaped Modern Rationality"
  9. "Unlocking the True Power of the Utility Monster: How to Use Your Insatiable Greed for Good"
  10. "The Art of Procrastination: How to Reach Infinite Productivity by Doing Absolutely Nothing"

1 comments

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comment by Stephen Bennett (GWS) · 2023-04-01T01:25:04.435Z · LW(p) · GW(p)

One of my friends studied humor for a bit during his PhD, and my goodness is it difficult to get the average person to be funny with just "hey, tell me a joke" type prompts. Even when you hold their hand, and give them lots of potentially humorous pieces to work with (a-la cards against humanity), they really struggle. So, I'm honestly reasonably impressed with GPT-4's ability to occasionally tell a funny joke.