Resnik Appears on the Kojo Nnamdi Show to Discuss Teaching Computers to Understand Tone

Philip Resnik, a professor of computer science with appointments in UMIACS and linguistics, appeared on the Kojo Nnamdi Show July 15 to discuss if it is possible to teach computers to understand the use of sarcasm in social media.

The explosion of social media has jump-started a field known as sentiment analysis. The goal is to sift through Facebook posts, blogs and Tweets to glean how users feel about a new product, anticipate an uprising, or catch a criminal.

Humans have been trying to teach computers to understand language for decades, but social media’s penchant for slang, acronyms and a casual disregard for grammar are especially difficult. The broadcast explores the challenge of mining computer content for feelings.

Listen here