The Future of Jokes

What might the future of jokes be like? And more importantly, will there be anyone left to laugh at them? In The Future of Jokes, erstwhile comedian and bestselling author Robin Ince prods and interrogates the art of the joke in order to discover what shape it might eventually take. He looks at how jokes permeate our everyday lives and brains today: from understanding consciousness through jokes, to what we do and do not find funny as society changes, with jokes constantly recycling and reinventing to reflect the times we're living in. He looks at jokes in the political landscape, and how they have often become survival mechanisms under oppression, even sowing the seeds of insurrection. And he asks what changing technology means for the way that we tell jokes - is AI capable of humour, and if so, what does that mean for humanity? The future of jokes is that we need jokes - they help to shape and form our lives and how we interact with each other... at least until there are no humans left and even then, jokes and humour may live on throughout the universe, somehow, somewhere...

• Publication date: 5 November 2026
• Page count: 144
• Dimensions: Height 110 mm; Width 178 mm; Thickness 14 mm
• Publisher: Melville House UK
• Format: Paperback
• ISBN-13: 9781911545835