Told in a series of vignettes, this story centers around with evolution to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how exactly we are supposed to handle it. What are we supposed to do? Sit back and let it take over, or like the Jedi’s do we take up arms and fight back! (Nonviolent, of course J) With two Narrators to guide us through a series of possible ways to win the fight we see a series of options to beat AI and win back the world! This action-packed high comedy is full of twists and turns that shed some fun light on AI and our interaction with it. From social media to attempting at reprogramming it to maybe making it fall in love with us… or another AI… or itself! The opportunities for success or possibly epic failure are truly endless. But in the end our storytellers find themselves exhausted, a little better educated and maybe just maybe… at peace with the world… PROBABLY NOT!
Teenager Guide to Living With AI: We Liked it Better When They Were Robots
(The scene opens: Narrators 1 and 2 enter from opposite sides of the stage sizing each other up. They meet center stage, nose to nose. Will they fight…after a beat… they both laugh and greet each other with a hug.)
Narrator 1: Good to see you again.
Narrator 2: Same. Same. How’s the family.
1: Can’t complain, ya know-
1/ 2: Life! (they both laugh)
1: Exactly.
2: Right.
1: That part.
2: Right. (weird silence) So, umm I was thinking-
1: About?
2: Yeah, I was getting to it then you interrupted me by asking me-
1: About?
2: Stop that! (1 takes a step back, blank face) I’m sorry, just really bothers me when you don’t let me finish my own sentences. (1 raises their hand, 2 rolls their eyes and points as if to call on them)
1: Is it okay for me to speak now?
2: (sigh) Yes.
1: Great. What were you thinking?
2: (smiles then like two little kids plotting their next adventure) So, I was thinking about this whole AI thing and how it’s gotten so-
1/ 2: Crazy!
2: Right! And like taking over the news, and the socials, and dinner conversations that I try to have with my mom as she struggles to get anything in our world to work right anymore -(2 is going off on a tangent, 1 wants to talk but stops themselves.) “Home screen mom! Home screen! You can do everything from the home screen. (they pout for a moment and 1 puts their arm around them)
1: (in a whisper) Home screen’ll get ‘em every time.
2: Every damn time.
1: But hey, clear up those sad eyes and let’s turn that frown upside down.
2: (still pouting) How?
1: I don’t know… what if we (takes a superhero pose) Kick some AI a-
2: (interrupting so we don’t hear the rest of that line) Butt!
1 / 2: Let’s do this! (they both pose)