What would Humans do?

Published by Ezer Fatima, the editor at Fun Show & Literalism

The play What would Robots Do, by Onomato 3.0 will be in Mongos Theater on Capis 21st.  This is the first play ever written by an A.I. The tragicomedy argues for more peaceful outcomes of many human historical moments if those leaders had been replaced by an artificial intelligence. There are three chapters to this play, including the big Settlement, WWII-Hitler, and the Strike-Senior Citizens. The total play runs about three and a half hours.

Onomato 3.0 is the the 3rd generation of artificial intelligence for entertainment, co-created by Intelligence Innovator, Hiroshi Sato and the head of Broadway shows, David Smith. Here is their testimonial, “After fifteen years of development, we are finally ready to release a play completely designed and created by Onomato.  Using the most complex algorithms and the background on cultural history, Onomato created a play that far surpassed our expectations. This is the day to be remembered as we prove that the artificial intelligence not only helps with simple automated tasks, but its capability in what we consider as creativity.”


the official poster for What would Robots Do? by self proclaimed artist L
However, the story has sprouted some criticism. Human activist, Charlee Johnson called this an ultimate April fool’s joke and “a well-organized mockery by those who think they are gods.” She urges against this notion of A.I. creativity and encourages the public to boycott Onomato’s play.

“Most of the actors on stages today are Artificials already. I cautiously warned the public about having Artificials in entertainment years back because it would only lead to downward slope.  Now my point is proven! Another automation invasion is taking over the entertainment industry. Artificials are not like us. I said it many times. They don’t feel and they can’t create anything. This is yet another spoof made by those foolish researchers who want all humans to be brainless potatoes!” She indignantly hung up afterwards.

Cultural Study professor from Next Gen 1x9, Mamadou Brown also disagrees on calling this play a creative product and brings up his concern on artificial intelligence eliminating many jobs in the creativity field.

Mr. Brown stated, “If Onomato’s play is considered as originality, then in the next few years expect all the future plays and novels to be created by the robots. The society as whole will be likely to lose those who truly hold the key to the creativity kingdom if the companies seek A.I as a cheaper alternative.”

On the other hand, Wei Hyung, the CEO of Better Tomorrow, believes this opens a new chapter between humans and robots and that the merry of having a different perspective; the one from robots can only bring good. 

“We shouldn’t view this as human vs robots. “ Mr. Hyung commented, “We had that conflict during the Strike, but we passed that now.  The play did a great job to bring up that piece of history. It even pointed out that it wasn’t A.I. to blame. In truth, it was the heads of the nations; their hunger for power and their politics. Apology for spoiling some of the plot, but we have to see a greater picture and appreciate A.I. in our entertainment world. They (A.I) are part of us. We created them and now they return the favor by helping us create something new. It’s rather exciting. I will take this show any day over those dull remakes of No.1 selling books.” Wei Hyung spoke briefly on his disappointment on Gone with the Wind, the last year’s bestselling film.

Despite the conflicting debates on humans and robots, What would Robots Do by Onomato, for the most part, receives positive reviews as a well-plotted story. Each chapter has its own interesting climax and satisfying ending. Since this play’s major audiences still remain, as funny as that sounds, to be humans. The real question is what would humans do?

If you are going to watch What Would Robots Do live in Mongos Theater on Capis 20st., leave a comment below and share your afterthoughts. Or, leave a comment anyway.


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