Ebert test explained

The Ebert test gauges whether a computer-based synthesized voice[1] can tell a joke with sufficient skill to cause people to laugh.[2] It was proposed by film critic Roger Ebert at the 2011 TED conference as a challenge to software developers to have a computerized voice master the inflections, delivery, timing, and intonations of human speech.[3] The test is similar to the Turing test proposed by Alan Turing in 1950 as a way to gauge a computer's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior by generating performance indistinguishable from a human being.[4]

Ebert lost his voice in 2006 after undergoing surgery to treat thyroid cancer. He employed a Scottish company called CereProc, which custom-tailors text-to-speech software for voiceless customers who record their voices at length before losing them, and mined tapes and DVD commentaries featuring Ebert to create a voice that sounded more like his own voice.[5] He first publicly used the voice they devised for him in his March 2, 2010, appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show.[1] [6] [7]

The audience of Ebert's 2011 TED talk about joke delivery by synthesized voices erupted with laughter when a synthesized voice delivered the following joke: "A guy goes into a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist says, 'You’re crazy.' The guy says, 'I want a second opinion.' The psychiatrist says, 'All right, you’re ugly, too.'"

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Lee . ((Jennifer 8.)) . Jennifer 8. Lee . March 7, 2011 . Roger Ebert Tests His Vocal Cords, and Comedic Delivery . September 12, 2011 . The New York Times . Now perhaps, there is the Ebert Test, a way to see if a synthesized voice can deliver humor with the timing to make an audience laugh.... He proposed the Ebert Test as a way to gauge the humanness of a synthesized voice. . September 26, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120926174320/http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/07/roger-ebert-tests-his-vocal-cords-and-comedic-delivery/?src=me . live .
  2. News: . March 5, 2011 . Roger Ebert's Inspiring Digital Transformation . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110325160035/http://www.tips-tricks.co.in/2011/03/roger-eberts-inspiring-digital.html . March 25, 2011 . September 12, 2011 . Tech News . Meanwhile, the technology that enables Ebert to "speak" continues to see improvements – for example, adding more realistic inflection for question marks and exclamation points. In a test of that, which Ebert called the "Ebert test" for computerized voices,.
  3. News: Ostrow . Adam . March 5, 2011 . Roger Ebert's Inspiring Digital Transformation . September 12, 2011 . Mashable Entertainment . With the help of his wife, two colleagues and the Alex-equipped MacBook that he uses to generate his computerized voice, famed film critic Roger Ebert delivered the final talk at the TED conference on Friday in Long Beach, California.... . September 7, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110907174107/http://mashable.com/2011/03/05/roger-ebert-ted-talk/ . live .
  4. News: Pasternack . Alex . April 18, 2011 . A MacBook May Have Given Roger Ebert His Voice, But An iPod Saved His Life (Video) . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110906063605/http://motherboard.tv/2011/4/18/a-macbook-may-have-given-roger-ebert-his-voice-but-an-ipod-saved-his-life-video . September 6, 2011 . September 12, 2011 . Motherboard . He calls it the "Ebert Test," after Turing's AI standard....
  5. Web site: Jones . Chris . February 16, 2010 . Roger Ebert: The Essential Man . . September 15, 2011 . September 23, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110923172438/http://www.esquire.com/features/roger-ebert-0310 . live .
  6. Web site: Ebert . Roger . Roger Ebert . December 14, 2012 . Hello, this is me speaking . . Interviews . July 29, 2019 . August 8, 2025 . https://web.archive.org/web/20250808143158/https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/hello-this-is-me-speaking . live .
  7. Web site: Tucker . Ken . Ken Tucker . March 2, 2010 . 'Oprah': Roger Ebert predicts the Oscars, movingly: 'No more surgery for me' . https://web.archive.org/web/20141217085828/http://watching-tv.ew.com/2010/03/02/oprah-roger-ebert-oscars/ . December 17, 2014 . Entertainment Weekly.

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