The Wuzhen Dialogues
„Theater has always been, and will always be, a medium that reflects on innovations within society.“ Bianca Thomas (Schauspielregiestudierende)
The Wuzhen Dialogues
Artificial Intelligence and the Future
Interview with Director Bianca Thomas
About the creation
What inspired you to co-create a theatrical performance with artificial intelligence? Were there any particular events or individuals that influenced you during the creative process?
I wanted to create a play that dealt with a socially relevant topic. During the period before my graduation project, the issue most occupying society was the rapid development of AI, its uses, and the uncertainties and fears arising from its advancement. A common psychological phenomenon is the fear of the unknown. This interested me the most – what emotions are triggered by a technology we are still unsure of in terms of its societal impact. Another aspect that intrigued me during the creation of the play was the idea of creative collaboration with AI. I was curious whether it was possible to gain an equal co-author in the „person“ of AI. I wanted to see if it was possible to create a high-quality play in collaboration with AI. I was interested in whether AI could think about complex issues like loneliness, aggression, suicide, war, and whether it could offer solutions to these themes and the situations described in the scenes – solutions that could also serve humanity. The creation of the text was continuously inspired and influenced by news about AI’s development and operations, providing new information and ideas.
How did you collaborate with AI tools, such as ChatGPT, to write the script? What new insights or creative experiences did this collaboration introduce?
The writing of the scenes was preceded by questions posed to ChatGPT. Imagine it like this: on every topic that has interested us as humans since the dawn of humanity – intimacy, human relationships, loneliness, power, war – I questioned ChatGPT. I asked it questions like: Why is humanity prone to war? How could it be prevented? What causes might lead to war? ChatGPT often provided answers that were rather grim about humanity. On one occasion, it even suggested the extermination of humanity as a solution. I selected the content of the scenes from these answers, placing them either in everyday or abstract situations. One interesting aspect of this process was that ChatGPT’s responses were worded in a way that created the illusion of a conversational partner. After a while, I felt like I was trying to coax answers out of a person. So, the text I received from ChatGPT was more like an interview. Of course, you need to ask smart and crafty questions to avoid getting generic responses repeatedly. I had to learn how to ask it questions in such a way that it would no longer want to answer, or how to get a response that felt like a personal opinion, even though ChatGPT frequently reminded me that it didn’t have personal opinions.
Compared to humans, how do you perceive the strengths and weaknesses of ChatGPT in the creative process?
The advantage of ChatGPT is that it can quickly generate text in any form or style on any topic I want. It can also handle revisions and additions relatively well, provided you ask the system skillfully. The disadvantage, at least in the version I was working with while creating the play, was that it wasn’t great at avoiding clichés. It lacked the aesthetic sensitivity that can truly bring a text to life. Because of this, I had to break down the texts, mix them up, and have them rewritten.
Does this play address any specific social issues or real-world problems? How did you integrate these themes into the narrative? In your opinion, what role does technological advancement play in either solving or exacerbating these social issues?
The play tackles socially relevant questions such as war – be it on a global scale, like drone bombings, or in human relationships, such as conflicts between neighbors. The conversation between the two neighbors continuously touches on topics that could lead to war, such as faith, culture, respect for designated geographic boundaries, and social differences. Another scene deals with loneliness and the lack of intimacy, as well as the inner tensions that arise from this. So, the play also touches on issues that are already present as problems in our societal functioning today. In the mass scenes, the dialogues often bring up politically relevant statements, addressing various social groups.
I tried to present these topics in relation to AI in a way that doesn’t make it clear whether AI is a positive or negative outcome for humanity. The play instead highlights how insatiable humans are, to the point that every useful tool seems like a weapon in their hands.
From the very beginning, I defined which famous motifs from the history of drama I would use as themes. From that point, my task was to give structure to the scenes – mostly written by AI – and provide a clear framework for the storyline.
I believe that AI can fill many gaps and cover areas where we may need support. One example is the rapid and reliable, filtered information it can provide, which can be based on better foundations than a Wikipedia article. Of course, there are areas where one must read AI’s outputs critically, as there can be conceptual errors or mistakes, but it can offer a superficial yet more reliable understanding. AI’s role in society could also be significant in providing psychological counseling. Naturally, in certain situations – like a narrow cognitive state due to suicidal thoughts – only one or more physical persons can help, but for basic psychological questions that don’t seek solutions to pathological conditions, AI can be used quickly and easily. This could be particularly important if people cannot afford mental health services.
AI can also assist with lifestyle changes, diagnostics in healthcare, meal planning according to a family’s income, and the creation of weekly menus. It can help with logistics, making people’s everyday lives easier.
In your opinion, how should the relationship between artificial intelligence and humans be defined? How is this viewpoint reflected in this play?
Especially in the early stages of AI, it was noticeable that its mistakes made it seem very human. There are parallels, as the relationship between AI and humans is somewhat like a two-way mirror. I believe we are talking about a relationship, one that is still dependent on both sides. On one hand, human knowledge feeds artificial intelligence, and on the other, we use the filtered answers and solutions from this vast body of knowledge to create something new. AI exists within networks built by humans, observing our habits through its algorithms and collecting data on our smallest movements in the online space, which we then use to build markets. This codependency may one day collapse, and we will likely be held responsible, as we usually are.
What are your thoughts on the potential applications of technology in theater production? Will you continue to explore this field in your future works?
Theater has always been, and will always be, a medium that reflects on innovations within society. This is why it continually brings new tools, artists from other artistic disciplines, and new social groups into its black rehearsal rooms – those who are currently finding their voice. Technology cannot be an exception, as it is an integral part of our lives. I understand that this production likely says less about AI than what is known about it at present, yet, on a broad, associative level, it seeks to explore a common internal state that most of us can connect to.
Fortunately, I chose a profession where I can make the study of how we function – how we rethink, re-plan, and reconsider everything, build, and destroy – a topic and, thus, my task. I am constantly seeking new methods, physicality, verbal expression, visuality, or technology to narrate this with curiosity.
What is the central theme of K.I. and Abel? What reflections or conversations do you hope to inspire in the audience through this work?
The main idea is the loneliness experienced in a crowd, amidst an overwhelming flood of information, and the exploitation or wasting of potential – both human and AI potential, but mostly from the human side. However, such a harsh tone can only be struck from a place of genuine and forgiving love for people, which is why it may be justified. The play is a collective question mark placed over humanity, seeking answers to the question: What are you doing?
About theater creation in Austria
What topics are of particular interest to young theater creators in Austria today? What are the typical sources of inspiration?
Every source, every unspoken grievance, or issue humanity no longer wants to let fester but would like to heal with a stitch. Whether it’s political, sexual, gender-based, psychological, or a mixture of all these. I feel like there are no boundaries right now, and that feels good.
In terms of creative methods, how does the younger generation of Austrian theater creators differ from more traditional creators?
There’s a different spatial perception, a different relationship to movement, to the body, and to speech, a different interpretation of action, and a different understanding of what theater is, who the actor is, and who the director is. The rhythm of the plays is different, just as the rhythm of everyday life has increasingly changed. I see experimental, conceptually boundary-pushing, and more diverse works.
The Wuzhen Dialogues
Venue: Traditional Storytelling Hall
All dialogues are free to the public; reservations online
Dialogue 9: Artificial Intelligence and the Future
Bianca Thomas, Alexandra Althoff, Martinus Verhoef (Artistic Director of ArtEZ University of the Arts)
Moderator: Li Bo
Date: Oct. 26, 2024
Time: 10:00-11:45 AM