Self Defence Or Murder?

Self Defence Or Murder?

In 2032, an artificially constructed being that thinks, feels and learns like a human has been ‘killed’. Should it get the same rights as humans?

Lightbringer Productions is proud to bring you Don’t Date Androids, an exploration of the world of AI, ethics and murder. Playing at BATS in the Heyday Dome from 21 June – 30 June, this interactive performance piece takes the audience on a journey through a whirlwind court case where they, the jury, decide whether a young man lives or dies:

Zac Thomas fumbles with his phone, dialling the police in a panic - he has strangled her.
Ida is an android, indistinguishable from a human; Zach swears it was in self-defence, her android strength pushing him to fear for his life.

With Google’s new Duplex AI passing the Turing Test and the ongoing debate on the future of AI between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, Don’t date Androids is highly topical and relevant as we leap further into the digital age. Taking a close look at the ethics and morality surrounding human interaction with artificial intelligence, Don’t Date Androids adds to the debate that has the potential to divide the world.

Ivana Palezevic, playing a lawyer, says that with technology evolving faster than ever, we could see some real changes to society in this century and even to the human body itself.

“If we can invent cochlear implants to help people hear, 3D printing that can replace broken bones or perform complex surgery, who knows what we could achieve, even at a molecular level? Androids and humans may very well be indistinguishable and I have no doubt they will divide the crowd.”

James Bayliss says his role as the defendant has really made him question his own prejudices. “I’ve really had to look at my own ideas of what it means to be human. If something is created in a lab but is a thinking, feeling, and sentient being–should it have the same rights as a human?”

What: Don’t Date Androids. Written by Stefan Alderson, Directed by Devon Nuku
When: 21 June – 30 June, 8pm
Where: Heyday Dome, BATS
Who: Lightbringer Productions

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