A global tech phenomenon has turned into a very local joke in France, where, in French pronunciation, "ChatGPT" can sound very close to "cat, I farted."
Here's what to know
Upworthy revisited the sound-alike at the center of the joke in a clip from the podcast How to Kill an Hour, where host Marcus Bonzy explained why French listeners find the name so funny.
"Life is extra surreal for French speakers right now because in French, ChatGPT sounds exactly like, 'cat, I farted.' Chatte, j'ai pété!" he said.
He followed that up by imagining how absurd everyday AI coverage can sound through that lens, adding: "That's how you say it. So everyone on TV, in the news, people are going 'Cat I farted,' over and over again. With a straight face. 'Is cat I farted gonna steal your job?' 'How was school dealing with cat I farted?' Lawyer caught using cat I farted! It's incredible!"
French-speaking commenters said the bit was basically accurate.
One Instagram user wrote, "Yes, it's true! We still say 'chatte' to make it sound more serious, but for GPT, I farted, we couldn't do anything!"
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More background
The discussion also prompted people to point out that ChatGPT is hardly the only name to run into unintended meanings once it crosses into another language.
On Facebook under the same How to Kill an Hour clip, one commenter pointed to Toyota's MR2, writing, "The poor guys who drive a Toyota MR2. MR2 (sounds) like 'merde,' that means 'turd' in translations."
In practice, people are adapting, clarifying, and laughing about it.
A few commenters also mentioned more formal-sounding ways to work around the issue.
One Facebook commenter wrote, "When I worked for GPT 40 years ago, we called ourselves GPTelecom in France. True story!"
Where can I learn more?
The French pronunciation joke is silly, but this isn't the first time that ChatGPT has prompted laughter or peculiar reactions.
• OpenAI faced user backlash after retiring a flirtatious chatbot just before Valentine's Day.
• At a live show, a comedian roasted an audience member's baffling attempt to use AI.
• TELUS customers compared a frustrating AI chat to something straight out of an SNL sketch.
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