Did you hear the one about the boffins who invented a computer that tells sexist jokes?

CIENTISTS have created a computer that tells sexist jokes.

The un-PC PC was created by scientists at the University of Edinburgh and is designed to generate its own witty one-

liners following a simple set of rules, Britain's Daily Telegraph reports.

The system was programmed to exploit a very successful component of comedy, where a statement is followed up with a surprising comment.

For example: "Take my wife ... please".

But the program has produced many one-liners that could upset the PC brigade.

Others are just plain weird.

The software was designed to find unlikely pairings of words and to make a connection between them.

It most commonly came up with jokes comparing men or women with another object, like: "I like my women like I like my gas … natural."

While some could have rivalled a human comedian for generating a wry smile, others worked less well.

One joke that did not work so well was: "I like my men like I like my court … superior."

One of the program's creators, David Matthews, of the university's school of informatics, said when they tested the jokes on volunteers they found they laughed, although not as much as man made humour.

He admits the machine now has to develop cultural awareness, something some real, live human comedians still struggle with