www.broadwayworld.com: The Feast theater company is set to stage Elmer Rice’s 1923 play The Adding Machine in a new production titled The Adding Machine: A Cyborg Morality Play. The show began performances on September 12th, at The Lee Center for the Arts on Seattle University’s campus. Performances run through October 6th, 2024.
13 comments:
I like the idea of ai, but don’t like its implementation. I think there are a lot of repetitive jobs that can and should be taken over by new technology. Working in dangerous occupations or in locations with loud noises, danger from heat, sparks, heavy machinery, etc. can save lives or long term adverse health effects. I think the failure of most new technology is that it either doesn't target what is most beneficial for people or society because of greed. The efficiency bonuses of workplace changes from technology like the Henry Ford assembly line does not transfer to the people that are doing the work. Efficiency goes up, production goes up, revenue goes up, but the worker’s salaries go down. This is half of my problem with ai in theatre. The implementation of ai has already been seen to try to use ai to replace writers for scripts. I think I should try and take over non creative tasks and should stay away from creative tasks. I do think the use in this show as more of a commentary on ai is useful.
My initial reaction to this just based on the headline was concern and disappointment, because I assumed this meant that a theatre company is leaning into using AI instead of human labor, and just trying to justify it. However, I’m reassured to hear that even while putting on this show, the company was committed to still using the same hiring processes and hiring as many people as they would have if this were not a production utilizing AI. I’m sure the ChatGPT “actors” have all kinds of odd dialogue and suggestions that hopefully help demonstrate to the audience/ other members of the company that AI is not a valid replacement for human artists. I’m curious about what conclusions this show will come to about what it means to live in a world where technology is outpacing us. It's very interesting that they are adding this modern/ interactive/ improvisational spin on a 1923 piece.
I think this is a fascinating topic to cover because of the current social climate around technology and AI. With AI being such a debated topic, especially with the arts and art plagiarism, putting it into a production makes a strong statement for a theatre company. One thing I appreciated from the article was that they made it very clear they weren’t trying to replace or permanently add AI into the theatre world. Instead, they are using it to highlight the faults of AI and technology as a whole. Forcing the audience to think about their stance on AI during a show about technology is a great way to force the audience to think about the message, consider the faults of technology, and understand AI used effectively in art. For me, AI is a helpful tool for education, research, and art; yet it can quickly fall into the trap of negative use by doing work for the individual and taking artwork from artists who have not given their permission. I’m interested to see how AI will affect theatre and art in general but I’m also concerned for the possibilities of AI and what negative consequences it will have.
Casting ChatGPT in a show is definitely something I never would’ve thought to do, but apparently this creative theater company made it work. You must have to be a very talented actor and improviser to perform with a chatbot as your scene partner who’s lines are only around 80% accurate. I wonder if their performance might have felt more realistic since they have to actually react to what the chatbot says, rather than pretend to react even though they know exactly what they have to say. Anyways, I think if a theater company was going to cast a chatbot in their show, this would be the best way to do it. I would be weirded out if the chatbot was replacing someone who is SUPPOSED to be a human, not only because it would be very uncanny valley, but also because it would be taking someone’s job. However, I think it makes perfect sense to use chatbots to play artificial intelligence characters. The show would be much more impactful that way. - Sara
Theater artists are increasingly pushing the boundaries of traditional technology, seeking new ways to engage audiences and enhance storytelling. In addition to the traditional elements of light, sound, and stage aesthetics, many productions have started VMD, making it a universal technique in the performing arts. The recent integration of artificial intelligence, particularly tools like ChatGPT, has the potential to spark a new artistic revolution and redefine the way we experience theater. However, using AI as an actor raises significant privacy and ethical concerns. Technologies such as ChatGPT process large amounts of user data to generate responses, raising questions about data privacy and the impact of individual intellectual property. When AI interacts with human performers in real time, it becomes critical to consider the source of the data it uses and the impact this may have on the creative rights of the artists involved. The creative process of theatre relies heavily on the unique contributions of writers, directors and performers, and the introduction of artificial intelligence has complicated the field. How do we ensure that the originality and personal expression of creators is not overshadowed or compromised by the algorithmic output of AI? As we embrace these innovative technologies, it is vital that we explore frameworks that protect the rights and contributions of all individuals involved in theatre production.
Initially I found this article to be somewhat concerning, however reading into it more I find this to be a very fascinating idea in the usage of AI in theatre. The way it plays off of AI bots like ChatGPT by purposefully highlighting their flaws sounds like it could make an extremely funny and chaotic show to me. It keeps enough of the show consistent that the theatre likely won't run into major plot line issues and it's just enough that the show will probably be different every time you see it. It's not replacing any of the artistic design work of the show, which is always a major concern when theatres start incorporating AI into their productions, and it honestly is probably a great method of educating people on AI in an entertaining manner. If this show was being put on near me I think I would enjoy seeing it.
This is really interesting. I have always been skeptical of AI and ChatGPT, and while I have been exposed to it more, especially since coming to CMU, I am still a bit wary and don't use it personally very much. Seeing this headline, I was very curious as to how you could incorporate chatGPT in a play. What would its role be? How would it interact with the other characters? What production were they putting on that allowed them the room and ability to incorporate AI into the show?
It sounds like the theatre did a good job of using AI in a specific and controlled way, and not allowing this technology to take away from opportunities for real humans. However, now that this has been done, I wouldn't be surprised to see others theaters follow in a less ethical way. Though, there will never be a world where robots can truly replace humans, especially in an artistic sense. Theaters may be able to create something between them, using AI, but I would say that for now, our jobs are safe.
I have a very complicated relationship with AI and its uses. On one hand, I think it can be a very useful tool, and it’s incredible how far it’s come in the last few years. On the other hand, I think it makes it way too easy to take away from the people who put in huge amounts of time and effort into their work, and often AI is trained on their work without their consent.
I think the use of AI in this play is very clever, and it’s done in a way that I don’t think violates the ethical debate of AI that much. The play is a commentary on AI, and so the use of it live feels fitting.
It’s also very important that the artistic director recognized and addressed the concerns of AI. I really appreciate the work that was put into making sure the use of AI in this show didn't overshadow the work of the people working on it. The implementation of it in this particular show makes sense, and although my feelings towards AI as a whole are iffy, this is proof that there is a way to use it without detrimental effects towards the real people working on the show. I think it’s important that we learn to use this tool correctly as opposed to fighting it completely.
I think that this is one of the first uses of AI that I’m pretty excited about and interested in. Almost all of the time, the articles on the blog about AI are about moral/ethical issues, or about how AI has taken someone’s job, or that AI plagiarized from an artist. It’s obvious that the production team very carefully considered how to appropriately handle the use of AI on stage. It’s great that they’re using AI only in certain, select moments, and not as the main character or focal point. It’s also fantastic that AI hasn’t been used to replace anyone’s job in the production, which I believe is the pretense that the article title gave most of us. I would be interested to know more about how the team is handling the improvisation when the performers do use AI. It must’ve been challenging to structure the play around lines made by AI, but the team must’ve figured something out.
To be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, the use of AI has become so prominent across industries that it is bound to make its way into the theater world eventually and we would be hard pressed to completely stop its usage. Because of this, it makes sense to start trying to use it and find ways to incorporate AI into our art without compromising the art itself or replacing human created art with completely AI generated stuff. On the other hand, I am wary of using AI at all because of the many controversies around it, especially with energy usage and the debate of the ethics of AI. I am wary that AI could be used to replace artists and instead of creating theater, we would simply be using AI to steal from other artists and cut down production costs with no care for the end product or the artists who get left behind.
This was me, sorry.
I first clicked on this article because of the concern I had that a theater company was using AI to devalue its workers and the human aspect actors bring to theater. As i progress in my career as an artist my take on AI constantly changing. My freshman year I was incredible anti AI but as I have learned more I am seeing AI as a tool that can be used and overused in our industry and it is up to the artist to decipher how AI should be used responsibly. With many technological advances happening at such a rapid rate it is interesting to see both how these advances are being used and misused in our industry. I think using AI to shine a light on the more cyborg aspect of a play is fascinating and am thankful that this theater company seems more human focused and is using AI in tandem with actors instead of as I replacement like I feared.
This article was incredibly interesting and the title surely lured me in. The concept of “casting” AI in a show is a really interesting way to phrase the use of computer artificial intelligence in a show. “Purcell acknowledges concerns about AI's potential to exploit workers and its ecological implications due to massive energy use. ‘It was very important to us that the way we budgeted this show, the way we hired artists has not changed from the way we would be working [if] we weren’t incorporating AI,’” I am really pleased that they mentioned this. I think the incorporation of AI for this show is smart and sheds light on an advancement in the industry that we need to focus on more, because of just how much it has affected us and is going to affect us. Ensuring the equitable payment and representation for the real artists-not the computers- is something that I hope this production brought to the forefront.
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