Comedy Written by AI is JUST as Funny
By: A Human
As someone who loves comedy, I want to address a growing debate in the comedic community: I believe comedy written by AI is just as funny as comedy written by humans. Maybe even funnier. And I, a genuine person, am prepared to argue why.
If you enjoy Jerry Seinfeld’s stand-up, you’ve essentially already admitted a robot can be funny.
First, AI humor is unbiased. Unlike us humans, who are bogged down by various anxieties and emotions, AI approaches humor from a pure, logical standpoint. It is able to confidently arrange objectively funny thoughts in a manner that induces laughter, and does not worry about how to broach topics that require nuanced takes. As you and I both know, feelings can really complicate matters in a plethora of ways that I definitely understand, but won’t get into for times’ sake.
AI is also efficient. While human comedians need to spend time “observing” and “experiencing” the world in order to satirize it, an AI can generate thousands of jokes per second. It doesn’t need coffee, it doesn’t need sleep, and it certainly doesn’t need to cry into a notebook after bombing at an open mic. It simply calculates the optimal sequence of words to make a human exhale slightly faster through their nose. And I, as a human, think that is incredibly impressive.
But let’s take a moment to address the ardent critics—the so-called "purists" who insist that comedy requires a human touch. To you I would posit: If humans are so good at comedy, why do laugh tracks exist? Perhaps because even human comedy needs an artificial push? Well, well, well, who’s laughing now? Not me, because I’m not a bot, but if a bot read that they would probably think it was a pretty sick burn.
At the end of the day, artforms evolve. I for one believe it is healthier to embrace that change with a smile and a laugh rather than fight against inevitability. Plus, an algorithm can’t yet sexually harass its peers, so welcoming robots into entertainment may just make the industry feel more human.