Beyond Zero and One (Andrew Smart) / quote 44 of 171
Machines remember jokes but don't get them
This science fiction example captures one of the salient differences between human and machine intelligence. Humans get jokes within milliseconds but might not remember them for seven years. Data remembers the joke for seven years, but it also takes him that long to get it. Data could preserve and replay the joke perfectly in his memory, but could not understand or experience it—at least not right away.