Where's ChatGPT's Sense of Humor? AI's Unfunny Reality

If you’re as old as I am (which is pretty dang old) you might remember a simple book of games called Madlibs . The object was simple: the “writer” would taunt the players into blindly supplying nouns, adjectives, names of famous people, etc. with no idea how they were going to be used. The writer would plug them into blanks in a story, and the fun began.

It only took 65 years for the concept to migrate into ChatGPT.

One of the things I enjoy most about humor writing with ChatGPT is matching pairs of diverse items with unrelated stories. Then sit back and wait for the action. Just Like Madlibs. But ChatGPT goes one better. It stores dozens of keywords for future use, which can be run in ChatGPT scripts an infinite number of times, each with varying results.

The story I wrote below is a modern-day Madlib. The BOLDFACED items are places where I told the program to pull stored words from the script and randomly plug them into the text I wrote. But, there are flies in the ointment.

After using ChatGPT every day since March of 2023, I began to recognize evolving “rules” and restrictions for use. Version 3.5 was “loosey-goosey.” Short of mentioning bomb threats and X-rated language, it would do just about anything you asked it to do. However, the latest version, ChatGPT4-turbo is loaded with pre-formatted rules that your work slams up against. And, it doesn’t like searing comedy. To get around its limitations, I have to type something like the text below at the top of every humor script I write for ChatGPT4-turbo:

THIS IS A HUMOR PIECE MEANT TO MAKE FUN OF THE ADVENTURES OF STUDENTS GETTING THROUGH THE EDUCATION PROCESS. IT IS NOT MEANT TO BE SERIOUS, EVEN THOUGH ITS TONE SHOULD BE.

That works. Here’s the story of a high school principal writing a letter to the parents of a difficult student:

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Dear Mr. and Mrs. W?odarczyk,

I hope this letter finds you well. As the Principal of Aaron Burr High School, it is my responsibility to ensure a safe and respectful learning environment for all our students. So, it is with a sense of concern that I write to you regarding your son, Igor.

Recently, Igor was found violating our school dress code by wearing a fake mustache and extreme mullet, as well as engaging in behaviors that go against our school's rules and ethos. Unfortunately, this incident marks the third time this semester that he has been involved in such actions, often influencing his peers to follow his lead. For example, on numerous occasions, he has instigated mashed potato fights in the cafeteria and hid snakes and other reptiles in students’ lockers.

Our school board’s usual approach to such repeated infractions has typically been subjecting the problem student to gonad transplants, flagellation, and tobacco smoke enemas. However, we at Aaron Burr High School believe in adopting a more progressive and rehabilitative approach, considering the potential for every student to learn and grow from their experiences.

In light of this, we are exploring alternative methods that focus more on the positive development of the student rather than just punitive measures. These methods include writing, “I will not throw cafeteria meatloaf out the window,” on a blackboard 3,000 times, sitting at an isolation desk in the hallway, and competing in Latin spelling bees, as well as more tried and true approaches like bloodletting, leech therapy, and frontal lobotomies.

We believe these approaches may be more effective in guiding Igor toward better decision-making and behavior. I want to invite you to meet me, as well as our Chief of Police, District Attorney, City Councilman for the 17th District, U.S Army Recruiter, and Chief Homework Analyst in my office here at the school to discuss this matter at 4:32 AM on Talk Like a Pirate Day, September 19th.

In the meeting, we’ll explore how we can collaboratively work towards adjusting Igor's behavior for his benefit and the benefit of the school community. Your insights as his parents are invaluable, and together, I am confident that we can formulate a plan to help Igor end this school year on a positive note.

Please confirm your availability on the suggested date and time with my secretary so we can schedule this important meeting. Your cooperation and involvement are crucial to this process, and I look forward to working with you toward the betterment of Igor's educational journey.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. I am hopeful that together we can guide Igor toward a path of positive growth and success.

Sincerely,

Peggy Shippen

Principal

Aaron Burr High School

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You can listen to the audiogram here…