In a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, it’s no surprise that AI has become a central topic of artistic exploration.
How do we, as humans, grapple with the rapid advances in technology, especially when it comes to AI? What does it mean for our future—and how can we make sense of it all?
Enter People Show 145 – The Diviners, a unique, thought-provoking performance that blends AI and storytelling in a fascinating way. Written and performed by Gareth Brierley, Sadie Cook, Fiona Creese, and George Khan, this show introduces four AI entities struggling to comprehend a world they no longer fully understand.
In a short interview with us, the creative team shared their inspirations and thoughts behind the show:
Gareth: “All of our work is devised and comes from the thoughts and ideas of the people in the room on day one of the making process. The Diviners, our 145th show, was no different. In our first few weeks of R&D, the writers strike was going on in America. Part of that strike was to protect writers and actors against AI.”
“This prompted the idea of these AI entities who think they are human but they’re actually slightly broken. Throughout the show they try to tell stories and jokes all in an attempt to be human, but they never seem to get it quite right!”
Sadie: “We actually asked an AI to write a show for us and pretty quickly it had. Suffice to say it wasn’t very good but it gave us an insight into how AI ‘thinks’. It’s interesting that devices and appliances are called ‘smart’ speakers or ‘smart’ phones. AI is supposed to help us with everyday tasks, but actually it isn’t always that helpful.”
Fiona: “We have a lot of questions about AI. And we should have many questions about it because we need to make decisions about how much we want and how we want to use it (if in fact we do)!”
“We’d love for people who work in AI to come see the show and find out what they think about it. Even though we play AI entities, The Diviners could also be described as a show about what it’s like to be human.”
Don’t miss this surreal exploration of technology and humanity on Saturday 28 September at 7.45pm. To book tickets, click here.
