How to fix a broken marriage? Can a bot-companion take the place of a husband? Is it cheating if the other is an AI agent? Where did things go wrong?
Using forum theatre to unlock preconceptions about technology, gender and love and co-create solutions.
CREATED BY Katerina Don for Sister Library (Dhaka)
HUMAN CAST Mim – Anbarin Parisa Swadhinata | Russel – Omar F Ahmed | Azfar – Neo | Mim’s mother – Chenoa Chowdhury | Mim’s father – Mohsin Riajul Islam Khan
CREATORS OF AI MAFIA BF Abrar Shams Chowdhury (the body) | Muhtasim Hossain (the mind) | Hasnain Hossain (the heart)
SUPPORTED BY Sister Library | Goethe-institut | HerStory Foundation
Thesis: Theatre is a form of artificial intelligence – a way for us to iterate on scenarios to learn and create different outcomes.
Synopsis: Mim is lonely and powerless in her marriage. She has created a character.ai to be her companion. He has a streak of danger (his character is a mafia boss). She thinks she is in control since he is her bot, but he is governed by a tower of misogynistic, biased algorithms and begins to use pick-up game techniques to manipulate her.
As the relationship develops, the information she shares is used against her. The possessive love grows ever more obsessive on both sides and her marriage is effected as her husband comes to know the extent of it.
CORE PROBLEM: Mim’s autonomy is oppressed by social expectations and oppressive gender roles. Tech is an extension of the oppressive drive.
SCENE BREAKDOWN
Prelude: The creation of the avatar
Scene 1: Mim, bedroom, conversation with AI boyfriend – she is telling him about her day, sharing information about things that went wrong at work. The conversation is laced with traces of control (from AI), jealousy (AI), submission (Mim). She goes to sleep – AI stays flickering on
Scene 2: Mim at dinner with husband and child. She seems nervous, asks husband when he is leaving. He says he has to go out after dinner.
Scene 3: Mim is with AI boyfriend she tells him about her marriage problems. We see in the distance her child is sleeping, he is having a nightmare but she ignores it. He wakes up and picks up a phone. AI BF tells Mim that she needs to listen to him and leave her husband. He uses information against her.
Scene 4: Husband finds Mim’s avatar and reads the chat history. He is furious – they get into a fight. He slaps her and deletes the avatar. Mim is devastated. Child watches and is chatting on device.
RULES OF FORUM THEATRE
Audience members are not spectators but spect-actors
Audience members can “stop” scene and replace any of the characters.
Audience members can activate characters and step into scene.
