Can a Computer Laugh?

[RoboGuy]

Can a computer laugh? Can a robot laugh? More importantly, is itpossible for a machine to "get" a joke so they know what to laugh at?Igor M. Suslov of theKapitzaInstitute for Physical Problems inMoscow, Russia has published a paper online titled, "Can a Computer Laugh" (PDFformat). In it he discusses theoretical reasons for laughter and how theideas can be applied in data processing. In human cognition,humor appears to correspond to specific types of information processing"malfunctions" that need to be flagged to prevent incorrect learning. Ineffect, laughing corresponds to quick nullification in some types ofneural networks. The author offers a computer model that can recognizethe humor in specific technical types of jokes identified by Freud.

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