Christine Evans-Pughe looks at a group of computer programmers and researchers who are trying to turn gigabytes into giggles. "MY DOG HAS no nose." "How does it smell?" We all know the traditional punchline to this old groaner: "Terrible!" Computers, however, really struggle to get the joke. It is illogical ("how does it detect odour?" "terrible!"), while retaining an echo of meaning ("how would you define its odour?" "terrible!").
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