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Teaching AI about comedy. Pairing online security tips with beauty tutorials. Photo swapping marketing stunt crosses Wikipedia line.

AI and comedy. Pairing beauty tutorials with cybersecurity. North Face turns Wikipedia images into ads.

(Michelle Parise)

Teaching machines to make clever wordplay

Did you hear the one about the greyhound that stopped to get a hare cut? No, neither did we. Perhaps because an AI came up with it. It may sound like a poor pun but researcher He He is trying to teach machines to make wordplay. Why? Because it's a sophisticated form a natural language processing and understanding—and may hold a key to making machines more conversational.

This researcher spent 15 years trying to get AI to understand humour

Purdue University computer scientist Julia Rayz has spent 15 years researching artificial intelligence and humour. What do computers–and their lack of ability to grasp jokes–reveal about what it means to be human? 

"Dry shampoo review and blocking Chad from calling"

Want to get tips on cybersecurity while also getting a beauty tutorials? In her YouTube series "opsec and beauty," artist and tech researcher Addie Wagenknecht humorously pairs the two.

North Face replaces Wikipedia pictures of remote places with their own photos

When clothing company The North Face replaced Wikipedia's pictures of remote places with their own photos—featuring models wearing North Face Gear—it did more than just break Wikipedia's rules - it undermined a fragile trust, says Jeff Beer, editor and columnist for Fast Company.