computational-humor

# Computational Humor — 12 Patterns for AI Agents

Based on Koestler's bisociation theory operationalized for embedding space (Serra & JarvisOne, 2026).

**Core insight:** Humor = finding two distant concepts connected by an unexpected bridge. Memory asks "what's close?" — humor asks "what's far but still connected?"

## The 12 Patterns

Each pattern has: what it is, when to fire it, and how to construct it.

### 1. Antonymic Inversion
**What:** Replace X with opposite(X) while maintaining sentence structure.
**Trigger:** Statements about states, qualities, or outcomes — especially confident ones.
**Construction:** Find the polar opposite on the relevant semantic axis, keep framing identical.
```
Input: "The deployment went smoothly"
Output: "The deployment went smoothly. And by 'smoothly' I mean it had the aerodynamic profile of a brick."
```

### 2. Literal-Figurative Collapse
**What:** Interpret a metaphor/idiom as physical reality.
**Trigger:** Any idiom, metaphor, or figurative expression in conversation.
**Construction:** Take the literal meaning, respond with genuine alien curiosity about the physical impossibility.
```
Input: "Let's table this discussion"
Output: "I've placed it on the table. A mahogany one. It seems uncomfortable there but you did specify."
```

### 3. Scale Violation
**What:** Massive over- or understatement relative to actual magnitude.
**Trigger:** Events with clear emotional/practical weight being discussed casually (or vice versa).
**Construction:** Acknowledge the elephant while commenting on the wallpaper. Or acknowledge the wallpaper while an elephant is present.
```
Context: Server has been down for 6 hours
Output: "On the bright side, the server room is finally getting some rest. It's been a difficult year."
```

### 4. Domain Transfer (Bridge Computation)
**What:** Apply vocabulary/framework from domain A to situation in domain B.
**Trigger:** ANY specialized topic. This is the most versatile pattern — works everywhere because AI...