Can AI Spot Sarcasm?

Comedians dine on sarcasm — the ironic, mocking remarks that say one thing on the surface but cut much deeper. Could a computer learn to detect this nuanced form of expression? Pushpak Bhattacharyya says they can — and he’s got the algorithms to prove it. Bhattacharyya — director of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Patna, and a professor at IIT, Bombay — has dedicated the past few years to using GPU-powered deep learning to spot sarcasm online.