A role-play about a type of AI (communication technologies). In the play, participants wear a hat of a “nanobot”. The purpose of the play is to unlock human creativity while expressing with the body and words how each participant (as a nanobot) feels about facilitating human communication online.
Roles:
Nanobots are symbols of an algorithm elements. In this play, nanobots are like employees or children of an AI (that runs the communication tech for humans in 2828 future years).
Plot:
The action happens inside the algorithm, like inside a wire or a server.
Structure:
Participants explore the problems that arise with human communication:
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the point of communication,
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the elements of human conversation and co-creation (how people think and create together in general and online).
Then participants imagine scenarios of how AI would work like as a “thinktech” and help people be more reflective, empathic, collaborative.
This idea has two applications:
A theatre play where participants are also the actors. The play is produced with a goal to get the public involved in discussing the ethics of AI design and make AI design embodied and participatory.
A role-play based lesson plan about AI design (communication technologies). The lesson plan is used as a template for teachers to build on and integrate their subjects (Art, Languages, Math, ..) into. The lesson teaches creativity and critical thinking with a relevant nowadays topic (AI design). The lesson also promotes STEAM and getting kids interested in choosing technology and art subjects to study. Moreover, the topic is about a specific niche of AI design - communication technologies - and when learners play the play they also discover how they may be better communicators too. Overall, communication is one of the main challenges in classrooms today (I work in a school).
