Can’t tech a joke: AI does not understand puns, study finds

The Guardian TechnologyMonday, November 24, 2025 at 7:59:34 AM
NegativeTechnology
Can’t tech a joke: AI does not understand puns, study finds
  • Researchers from universities in the UK and Italy have found that large language models (LLMs) struggle to understand puns, highlighting their limitations in grasping humor, empathy, and cultural nuances. This study suggests that AI's ability to engage with complex linguistic elements remains inadequate.
  • The findings are significant for the fields of artificial intelligence and natural language processing, as they underscore the challenges LLMs face in mimicking human-like understanding of language, particularly in creative contexts such as comedy and writing.
  • This development raises broader questions about the effectiveness of LLMs in various applications, especially as concerns grow regarding their cognitive abilities when trained on low-quality data. The ongoing debate about the potential and limitations of AI continues to evolve, with contrasting views on whether these models can truly enhance human intelligence or if they are fundamentally flawed.
— via World Pulse Now AI Editorial System

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