Publish at November 22 2023 Updated November 22 2023
There's nothing original about the piece of writing you're about to read. It simply repeats a situation we've seen on every stage, from the judicial and medical to the school and tourist scenes, to name but a few. It does, however, touch on a sector that hasn't been considered before: the performing arts.
It's almost a truism to say that artificial intelligence is not universally accepted. The advances it has made in recent years, and the fact that it is so accessible, have raised major questions in all sectors of the industry. Suddenly, the fictional scenario of robots taking over almost all human jobs is looking more and more likely.
In 2023, Hollywood experienced two major strikes that paralyzed the industry until November 2023: the screenwriters' strike and the actors' strike. A huge part of the discussion focused on one subject: AI. Because with the technologies of conversational robots and now algorithms capable of reproducing a person's voice and even image, both professions realized what was coming next. What's to stop a studio from making a film with as few workers as possible, simply with artificial intelligence?
In fact, the American theater community has lent its support to the movement. Because many see technology quietly creeping into the performing arts too. Indeed, even playwrights are not immune to its presence. As a result, some are reminded of the importance of fighting against too much integration of a technology that, in any case, would fail to bring its human flavor to the audience. A machine doesn't improvise or make mistakes; it executes things in an even fashion, taking all the spontaneity out of theatrical art. Which leads some to say that the world of the stage is rather safe from replacement by AIs.
A robot comedian won't be able to improvise from the audience's reaction, won't be able to convey a myriad of distinct emotions in a tirade, and a robotic magician won't be able to create a narrative to perform tricks.
Yet, critics notwithstanding, artificial intelligence is making its way into the performing arts. Technologies such as ChatGPT are now capable of proofreading a play, finding errors or areas for improvement and suggesting them to an author. Algorithms are now capable of quickly reading a play, suggesting different lighting effects and even designing a set. Not to mention the possibility of virtual actors who could also play the texts, image-creating AIs that could project different sets, and so on.
Some are already thinking about the theater of tomorrow, with holograms, virtual reality experiences and creations that put the spectator at the heart of the plot with interactivity. Artificial intelligence could be used to inform spectators about the play they're about to see, adapt music to suit the scene, analyze the moments that work best, and so on. For actors, artificial intelligence could become a computerized tutor. It could help them find the right way to play a scene through its analysis, listen to the accent taken and help correct it, and even assist a director to rectify postures or dramatic intentions.
All of this can be seen as both a complete dystopia and as augmented artistic possibilities. As this artificial intelligence specialist points out, it could be both, but she rather believes that human creativity will win out and simply sees AI as a way of getting rid of boring tasks to concentrate on creation. The human connection is too important in art, she believes, to disappear entirely.
As a result, established and budding playwrights, actors and directors alike won't be able to ignore AI. It has already made its mark, and even the performing arts are beginning to make use of it. Fighting it therefore seems rather unproductive. On the other hand, it can already be a formidable subject for future plays.
For example, this play tells the story of a troupe that finds itself performing a text written by an AI. The author actually wrote the text in 2019, a few years before the madness of ChatGPT, and he also had fun having some of the dialogues composed by an artificial intelligence. The whole question of the effects of AIs on modern wage earners, on workers' rights, on the domestic and amorous spheres, etc., is one of a kind. It's a huge sandbox for contemporary writers.
The theme of virtuality and what is or isn't achieved by an algorithm is one that fascinates directors who can play with it. By using artificial intelligence, as this creator does, he raises questions about creation, production and so on. The theme of the relationship with avatars and robots that can converse takes on even more meaning when using doubles, as in this French play featuring a computer developer, an artist and an artist's double.
The question of humanity's place in a digital world is constantly being asked, and ironically, the world of live performance could very well make use of technology to show people contemporary and future issues. Of course, ideally, creation would remain in the hands of humans, not machines; audiences will generally prefer sensitivity to the coldness of an algorithm.
Photo: studiostoks / DepositPhotos
References
Chevry, Evelyne. "The future of performing arts in the age of AI: Insights from summer 2023." Medium. Last updated August 21, 2023. https://evelynechevry.medium.com/the-future-of-performing-arts-in-the-age-of-ai-insights-from-summer-2023-4c5c3ddea7f4.
"Exploring post-human theater: practical insights and innovative perspectives." Captitles. Accessed November 17, 2023. https://www.captitles.com/library/exploring-post-human-theater-practical-insights-and-innovative-perspectives.
Frąckiewicz, Marcin. "ChatGPT in the theater world: improving script analysis and performance." TS2 SPACE. Last updated July 9, 2023. https://ts2.space/fr/chatgpt-dans-le-monde-du-theatre-ameliorer-lanalyse-et-la-performance-des-scripts/#gsc.tab=0.
Griffin, Ashley. "AI and the future of theater." OnStage Blog. Last updated May 22, 2023. https://www.onstageblog.com/stage-directions/2023/5/22/ai-and-the-future-of-theater.
"How artificial intelligence is used in the theatre?" Stack of Tuts. Last updated October 31, 2023. https://www.stackoftuts.com/ai-uses/how-artificial-intelligence-is-used-in-the-theatre/.
Perrier, Amélie. ""dSimon": When artificial intelligence takes to the stage in theater." France Inter. Last updated: April 12, 2023. https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/dsimon-quand-l-intelligence-artificielle-se-met-en-scene-au-theatre-9275757.
Semlali, Aïda. "Artificial intelligence meets artistic creation at the new stage." Radio-Canada. Last updated: March 1, 2023. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1959948/ia-art-theatre-danse-chatgpt.
Teodoresco, Alexandre. "Performing arts: the last bastion against generative AI?" LinkedIn. Last updated March 22, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/performing-arts-last-bastion-against-generative-ai-teodoresco-.
Toczkowska, Natalia. "What is the role of AI in modern theater and performances?" TS2 SPACE. Last updated: September 16, 2023. https://ts2.space/en/what-is-the-role-of-ai-in-modern-theater-and-performances/#gsc.tab=0.
"What happens when AI takes on one of 'most human' art forms?" Harvard Gazette. Last updated November 8, 2023. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/04/what-happens-when-ai-takes-on-one-of-most-human-art-forms/.
"Why automation is not a threat to careers in performing arts." Careers360. Last updated: August 16, 2023. https://www.careers360.com/premium/why-automation-is-not-a-threat-to-careers-in-performing-arts.
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