Datacom has teamed up with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to create an AI-powered "Funny Finder" tool to help audiences narrow down the best options - based on their own preferences - from the festivals 680+ show programme.
Accessed from the Festival’s website homepage, the Funny Finder uses the power of AI to give audiences a new, easy way to explore options within the enormous programme of events and find their perfect night out.
The tool enables festivalgoers to describe their comedy likes and dislikes as well as their availability, the Funny Finder then creates personalised show recommendations and provides direct access to tickets.
Datacom’s Director of AI, Louise Compagnone describes the Funny Finder tool as "a custom-built AI solution that is designed to re-imagine how people discover shows and artists".
"AI allows for a more intuitive user experience – letting people simply express what they want in natural language and get personalised results. By analysing and interpreting users' comedy and entertainment preferences, and their availability, the AI behind Funny Finder does the heavy lifting of personalising the entire festival programme. Think of it as a personal entertainment concierge," says Compagnone.
“The growth of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival over the past few years, and the sheer number of shows and artists that festivalgoers can now choose from, has it perfectly poised for the introduction of an AI tool. Now festivalgoers can have a range of show options served up to them based on their unique tastes and requirements.”
Compagnone notes Datacom and the Melbourne Comedy Festival have co-designed the tool as an entertaining, need-based, addition to how audiences navigate the programme and find performers new to them.
“Although too much choice is a good problem to have, we wanted to help both the festival organisers and artists connect audiences with experiences that they may not have discovered before.”
“By analysing information from both comedians and our festival databases, the Funny Finder tool will continue to learn and improve throughout the festival as audiences interact with it, making comedy discovery easier and more interactive than ever before,” says Compagnone.
“At Datacom, we’re all about using technology to make life simple for everyone. We’re delighted to see how this partnership could add a new layer to the festival experience and see incredibly exciting growth potential for Funny Finder in festivals to come.”
Last year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival continued to set records; delivering a program of 685 shows from 1,847 artists that put on 8,000+ performances across 132 Melbourne venues.
“With so many incredible artists in the Festival we know some audience members find navigating the programme a bit overwhelming," says Melbourne International Comedy Festival Executive Director, Dylan Cole.
"That’s why we’ve worked with Datacom to implement the Funny Finder – an exciting AI-driven addition to our website. We’re excited by the direction AI can take us and look forward to building on this innovative proof of concept. We hope audiences have a play, and maybe even discover a new favourite comedian along the way."
The Funny Finder uses Microsoft’s Azure’s cloud infrastructure to house its Large Language Model (LLM) search engine. This engine allows for the analysis of queries with contextual understanding that is far more advanced than traditional key word matching. The platform’s conversation-based interface adapts to user's communication style, maintaining context across interactions to provide relevant results.
Built with open-source React, the Funny Finder offers an intuitive interface that works seamlessly across devices. Azure's scalable architecture ensures consistent performance even under heavy demand, while the integration of advanced language AI enables natural dialogue. This combination of advanced technology and user-centred design elevates content discovery into an easier and more personalised experience.
About Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is one of the largest and most celebrated comedy festivals in the world, attracting thousands of visitors each year. Over its 39 years, the festival has become a cultural icon in Melbourne, offering a platform for comedians to showcase their craft and for audiences to experience the best in live comedy from across the globe. Running from 26 March to 20 April 2025, the festival promises to be an unforgettable celebration of comedy - from stand-up and sketch to improv, musical comedy, line-up shows, special events, talks and laughter-filled nights out. Browse the full programme and find out more on the Comedy Festival website.
