The Ebert Test, proposed by film critic Roger Ebert at the 2011 TED conference, is a challenge directed at software developers to create a computer-based synthesized voice capable of telling jokes with such skill that it elicits genuine laughter from people.

The Ebert Test aims to evaluate the ability of a computerized voice to master the nuances of inflection, delivery, timing, and intonation that are characteristic of human speech.

The concept behind the Ebert Test is similar to the Turing test, originally proposed by Alan Turing in 1950, which assesses a computer’s ability to exhibit intelligent behavior indistinguishable from that of a human being. However, the Ebert Test focuses specifically on humor and the ability to evoke laughter, demonstrating the complexity and subtlety involved in reproducing human-like comedic delivery.