Laughter, the essence of humanity? ChatGPT deemed funnier than humans

Laughter, a subtle behavior unique to humans, may indeed be mastered by artificial intelligences. A recent study from the University of Southern California (USC) reveals that jokes generated by AI are often judged to be funnier than those created by humans.


Researchers from the USC Dornsife College conducted this study, published in PLOS ONE, comparing participants' reactions to jokes written by ChatGPT 3.5 and by humans. The goal: to determine if AI can surpass humans in terms of humor.

According to Drew Gorenz, a PhD student in social psychology at USC, these results show that one does not need to feel emotions to create effective jokes. Indeed, even though ChatGPT cannot experience emotions, it creates jokes that make people laugh more often than those made by humans.

The first part of the study asked participants and ChatGPT to create original jokes. The results showed that nearly 70% of participants found the AI's jokes funnier than those of humans. A second study compared humorous headlines from The Onion, a satirical news outlet, with those generated by ChatGPT, yielding similar results.

PLOS ONE explains that participants were tasked with generating humorous phrases for acronyms, completing funny sentences, and creating self-deprecating jokes. ChatGPT produced 180 jokes, while 105 participants wrote 945, all subsequently evaluated by a new group of participants.

Drew Gorenz, a comedy enthusiast and co-author of the study with Norbert Schwarz, emphasizes that this research raises questions about the impact of AI in the entertainment industry. Humor professionals might see these technologies as a threat to their jobs.

The study's conclusion highlights that while AI can enhance daily communications with a touch of humor, it also poses a potential threat to professional writers. It remains to be seen whether AI will have the final say in this field.