The Sometimes Absurd Humor of AI

I asked AI to write a funny limerick about peanuts. That’s P E A N U T S. AI responded that it could not, but it was happy to write a limerick about walnuts or almonds.

Hmmm, I wondered. How is it that AI, which, as we all know, is just a computer, has an aversion to peanuts? And because I’m having fun poking around with AI, I replied in turn, “peanuts seemed like an innocuous request to me.”

AI agreed, then apologized, and then produced three limericks about peanuts. All three were terrible. Perhaps AI has a peanut allergy.

Yesterday I asked AI to recommend an audiologist. After more than a bit of symbolic whirring and clicking, it came up with a well-reasoned list of possible audiologists. All were located in Portland. I assume Portland, Oregon, not Portland Maine (although, there are seventeen cities in the United States named Portland).

Fortunately, there is just one city in the United States named Los Angeles, where I have enjoyed living for 86 years.

I advised AI of my location in LOS ANGELES, and received another creative apology, together with a new list. I may actually use one of the AI-suggested audiologists, but only if their phone is not answered by a robot.

Inadvertently, I may have discovered one of AI’s superpowers — apologizing.  From my own experience, AI has had lots of practice, and has learned that a sincere apology goes a long way toward assuaging a real person.

I hasten to assure you that I have produced this blog all by myself, using only the tools of my right forefinger and my iPhone.  And my own mind.  Unless you count the tool of my looking up how many cities called Portland or Los Angeles there are. Those may be the actual facts. But AI hallucinations can be fun-nier.

With appreciation for those of you who are my human readers, but I hope you don’t plan to use AI to determine the quality of this blog.  It may have put me on some kind of AI internal blacklist.

Alan