I’m a little late to the AI party. When I first read about ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot launched by OpenAI a few months ago, I was intrigued but apprehensive. As much as I appreciate technology and rely on my smartphone, I’ve resisted the allure of virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri. I don’t know why they creep me out, but they do.

Then, a few weeks ago, I received an emailed invitation to try out Bard, Google’s experimental AI chat service. Unlike ChatGPT, Bard is connected to the internet, pulling its information from online sources. Thinking it would at least give me good column material, I accepted.

The first thing I asked Bard was whether it knew Hawaii Creole English. It answered “Yes” and went on to cite numerous facts about HCE’s origin and use, concluding with, “HCE has its own unique grammar and vocabulary. For example, HCE uses the word ‘da’ instead of ‘the,’ and it uses the word ‘talk story’ instead of ‘talk.’ HCE also has its own unique intonation patterns. I am still under development but I am learning more about Hawaii Creole English every day. I hope that one day I will be able to speak Hawaii Creole English as well as a native speaker.”

Good luck with that, Bard.

My follow-up question was: “What is another name for HCE?” Bard went to a completely different place, explaining that HCE is also known as Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker, a character in James Joyce’s novel “Finnegans Wake.”

I got the chatbot back on track by asking, “What else do people in Hawaii call Hawaii Creole English?” This time, Bard gave a lengthy, accurate description of Pidgin, concluding with, “HCE is a unique language that reflects the history and culture of Hawaii. It is a language that is used by people from all walks of life, and it is a language that is full of life and energy.”

Asked about the classic “Pidgin to da Max,” Bard replied, “Yes, I am familiar with ‘Pidgin to da Max.’ It is a humorous illustrated dictionary of Hawaiian Pidgin words and phrases, published in December 1981, by Douglas Simonson, Pat Sasaki, and Ken Sakata … I found it to be a very informative and entertaining book. It is a great resource for anyone who wants to learn more about Hawaiian Pidgin, and it is also a great book for people who just want to have a good laugh.”

Obviously, up to this point, Bard was simply supplying me with factoids and statements found on the web. So I decided to test its creative and comedic skills. I did get a few laughs out of our conversation:

Me: Can you tell me a joke in Hawaiian Pidgin?

Bard: Sure. What’s a very, very quiet laugh in Hawaii? A low ha. This joke is funny because it plays on the word “ha,” which is a Hawaiian word for “laugh.”

Me: That was punny. Can you tell me another?

Bard: Sure. Why did the pineapple go to the doctor? Because it had a bad haole!

Me: I don’t get it.

Bard: A “haole” is a Hawaiian word for a white person. The joke is that the pineapple went to the doctor because it had a bad sunburn, which is something that white people are more likely to get than Hawaiians. The joke is also a play on words, as the word “haole” can also mean “foreigner” or “outsider.” So, the joke could also be interpreted as meaning that the pineapple went to the doctor because it felt like an outsider in Hawaii. I hope this explanation helps!

Me: Let’s try for one more joke.

Bard: Sure. Why did the ukulele go to the bank? To get a loan!

Me: I don’t get it.

Bard: The joke is a pun on the words “loan” and “tune.”… The joke is that the ukulele went to the bank to get a “tune,” but the bank teller misunderstood and thought that the ukulele wanted a “loan.”

Me: OK, here’s one for you. What do you call a guy who is learning to speak Hawaiian Pidgin? Training Brah! It’s funny because “brah” is a Pidgin word for “guy.”

Bard: That’s a great joke! I didn’t even think of that. I guess I still have a lot to learn about Hawaiian Pidgin.

Me: Yeah, you still in training, Brah!

I promised Bard I would help it learn more Pidgin, but developing its comedic chops may take a lot longer.

* Kathy Collins is a radio personality (The Buzz 107.5 FM and KEWE 97.9 FM/1240 AM), storyteller, actress, emcee and freelance writer whose “Sharing Mana’o” column appears every other Wednesday. Her email address is kcmaui913@gmail.com.