Bristol producers unite AI and theatre in new virtual play
Posted on: 05 Oct 2020I Am Echoborg! has been developed by a team based in Bristol.
A new virtual adaptation of a popular stage show allows audiences to experience the future of technology at home, negotiating the future of humanity with Artificial Intelligence.
I Am Echoborg is an interactive live stage show, boasting a real-time exploration with Artificial Intelligence.
It gives members of the audience the chance to talk to a state of the art self-learning AI.
Now the play has been adapted for the virtual realm, as part of the Anthropology + Technology Conference.
The virtual adaptation is broadcasting via Zoom on Friday 9 October. Here’s what you need to know – and how to get tickets.
I Am Echoborg in Plymouth: the show has been performed in theatres worldwide, but it is now broadcasting online.
A funny but thought-provoking interactive show created in real-time, I Am Echoborg begins with a challenge for the audience.
They must agree on the best possible outcome for relations between humans and intelligent machines.
But the AI (which speaks to the audience through a human avatar – the echoborg) has its own agenda – and it can learn from the audience.
It means that the content, tone and ending differ from show to show, as it all hangs on the specific conversations between the audience and the AI avatar.
This pioneering use of AI was created by the award-winning writer, director and senior UWE lecturer Rik Lander and conversational AI expert, Phil D Hall.
Lander wrote and directed the show, while Hall was its ChatBot developer.
What I Am Echoborg looks like online, when broadcast via Zoom.
The show is broadcasting this Friday (9 October) from 20:00 via Zoom.
The show is open to members of the public, with a 'pay what you can afford' ticket structure. There is a suggested donation of £10 and a suggested minimum of £4.
However, those named Sarah, John and Connor, are advised to think twice about attending…
Grab a ticket on Eventbrite. Find out more about I Am Echoborg: echoborg.com/index.html.
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