Anthropology

• Theater

Here is a new and timely play about the risks and rewards of artificial intelligence. It was written by America’s most produced living playwright since 2016 and was premiered this year at London’s Hampsted Theatre.  Merril is a talented software engineer whose younger sister Angie disappeared last year without a trace and is now presumed dead. To solve the mystery of her sister’s disappearance, Merril uploads all of Angie’s digital material – social media posts, emails, texts, voice messages, selfies – to create a “virtual Angie” with whom she can talk and see on a screen. Merril’s former lover as well as her drug-addicted mother have positive and negative feelings about the new technology. At first, Merril is technically in control of the situation and comforted by the sisterly banter and jokes she exchanges with “Angie.” But when “Angie” becomes threateningly independent, and unknown details of her real life are revealed, Merril is alarmed. Are the new details from a person or algorithm? Are they fact or fiction?

“Clever AI missing-person mystery.” -- Guardian