Learning from AI developers – designing the framework for creation of funny ads for TV, radio, web and print. What will go viral and why?

I have just came back from a meeting of Silicon Valley scientists and developers who work on design of various artificial intelligence systems. While no ultimate solution has been found yet, nevertheless every discussion is interesting and thought provoking.

Today’s speaker, Bert Koehler, presented results of his research and share some insights on building AI systems that not only understand humor, but that actually create jokes.

The is a reason why I decided to cover today’s event in the blog .  The main focus of every marketer in the current economy, where advertising budgets are shrinking, should be ability to generate advertising echo, produce advertising campaigns and ad inventory that is viral. If we analyze carefully the most viral marketing campaigns we will notice that vast majority of them has ad units that are funny enough to be shared – humorous, sarcastic or simply absurd.

It’s only natural for people to share a joke that made them laugh. Or some it’s due to the desire to share joy or other strong emotion; for others it’s out of their need to be a center of attention; for some it’s to be known for the content discovery. While motivation for sharing content is irrelevant for our conversation, the actual content is not.

Unfortunately many marketers fail in their attempt to make their ads viral. Some spend dozens of thousands of dollar on videos that are never shared on social networks and through personal social cycles. All it means, you are just not funny enough. Sorry dude.

Coming back to today’s talk, it presented an approach to understanding how to analyze and model cognitive processing of humor. We discussed ways of implementing this processing that requires a new platform, as well as AI interoperability with the humanities.

There was a lot of interesting ideas around what makes a person to perceive a statement or event funny.

Bert Koehler has been an engineering contractor and consultant in Silicon Valley for two decades. In parallel with his work with semiconductor firms in complex VLSI he has been doing AI research for decades with goal of merging AI and the humanities. Results have included progress in understanding humor, emotion, and fiction. He is writing several books on these subjects as well as a series of books on bases for engineering synthetic intelligences.

There is no way I will be able to recreate Bert’s presentation, but in a nutshell…Here are a few important components for something to be perceived as “haha” funny – if one or more present in the statement of the event, there is a high probability that for a group of people it appears humorous:

• Wit – making connections between things in a novel or empowering way. Example: puns or wordplay.
• Triumph – attempts to change power relationships in your favor. Example: overcoming bureaucrat in funny way; sarcasm, funny insults.
• Dissonance –  things that are absurd relative to what the audience believes is true.  Example: silly gags.

Unfortunately in order to put more meat on those points I would need to rewrite one of the books that Bert is working on. And I probably will not do it this time.  :-)

There are also various theories that allow us to relate theory to hypotheses.

For example,

• Piaget’s theory can be used to make predictions about developmental differences in humor.
• The cognitive response theory of persuasion can be used to predict that humor will increase the persuasiveness of a message if the humor distracts the audience from thinking about the holes in the message’s argument.
• Schachter’s cognitive labeling theory might explain why students are often likely to laugh loudly at a remark made a few minutes before an exam is to be handed out.
• Opponent process theory might predict that people’s moods would not be improved by exposure to humor.
• Social comparison theory can explain why people might look to others to find out whether something is funny.
• Freud’s relief theory says that laughter involves a released of accumulated psychic energy.

Theories help us understand why people find certain things humorous–and help us to categorize humor. Some are in line with points that we discussed today. For example,
> Superiority theory suggests that we laugh because we feel superior to others.
> Incongruity theory suggests that we laugh when we see events as incongruous.

For those who want to learn more about psychology of humor and types of humor I will quote excerpts of a few articles that I just found on the net.

On types/styles of humor …

by By Louise Dobson in Psychology Today:

Put-Down Humor

This aggressive type of humor is used to criticize and manipulate others through teasing, sarcasm and ridicule. When it’s aimed against politicians by the likes of Ann Coulter, it’s hilarious and mostly harmless. But in the real world, it has a sharper impact. Put-down humor, such as telling friends an embarrassing story about another friend, is a socially acceptable way to deploy aggression and make others look bad so you look good.

When challenged on their teasing, the put-down joker often turns to the “just kidding” defense, allowing the aggressor to avoid responsibility even as the barb bites. Martin has found no evidence that those who rely on this type of humor are any less well-adjusted. But it does take a toll on personal relationships.

Bonding Humor

People who use bonding humor are fun to have around; they say amusing things, tell jokes, engage in witty banter and generally lighten the mood. These are the people who give humor a good name. They’re perceived as warm, down-to-earth and kind, good at reducing the tension in uncomfortable situations and able to laugh at their own faults.

Talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres embraces her audience by sharing good-natured, relatable humor. Her basic message: We’re alike, we find the same things funny and we’re all in this together.

Nonetheless, bonding humor can have a dark side. After all, a feeling of inclusion can be made sweeter by knowing that someone else is on the outs. J.F.K. and his brothers would often invite a hated acquaintance to vacation with them; they’d be polite to his face, but behind his back, the brothers would unite in deriding the hapless guest.

Hate-Me Humor

In this style of humor, you are the butt of the joke for the amusement of others. Often deployed by people eager to ingratiate themselves, it’s the familiar clown or “fat guy” playfulness that we loved in John Belushi and Chris Farley—both of whom suffered for their success. A small dose of it is charming, but a little goes a long way: Routinely offering yourself up to be humiliated erodes your self-respect, fostering depression and anxiety. It also can backfire by making other people feel uncomfortable, finds Nicholas Kuiper of the University of Western Ontario. He proposes that it may remind others of their own tendency toward self-criticism.

Farley, who died at age 33 from an overdose, had a streak of self-loathing. “Chris chose the immediate pleasure he got in pleasing others over the long-term cost to himself,” his brother wrote after his death. The bottom line: Excelling at this style of humor may lead to party invitations but can ultimately exact a high price.

Laughing At Life

When we admire someone who “doesn’t take himself too seriously,” this is the temperament we’re talking about. More than just a way of relating to other people, it’s a prism that colors the world in rosier shades. Someone with this outlook deploys humor to cope with challenges, taking a step back and laughing at the absurdities of everyday life. The Onion is a repository of this benign good humor. The columnist Dave Barry has perfected it with quips like this: “Fishing is boring, unless you catch an actual fish, and then it is disgusting.”

Studies that link a sense of humor to good health are probably measuring this phenomenon; when you have a wry perspective, it’s hard to remain anxious or hostile for long. It was called “self-enhancing humor,” because you don’t need other people to entertain you—if something peculiar or annoying happens, you’re perfectly capable of laughing at it on your own.

Ok, I am running out of time, but Google “psychology of humor” and I am sure, if you have more time for this research that I do now, you will find plenty of interesting materials. Please be generous and share some of ideas as responses to these articles.
…
by Olga Kostrova, CEO of IdeaMama Group:




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