Introduction

Climateprov is a first-of-its-kind interactive theatre performance that provokes a conversation about climate emergency through the humorous, absurd and intriguing interplay between human and AI performers using generative AI and human inputs. As an improvised theatrical performance, Climateprov does not have a fixed storyline or plot, but rather relies on the creativity and spontaneity of the performers to engage the audience in an absurd, and thought-provoking exploration of climate change through generative AI. 

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About The Show

The performance itself is interactive in nature and begins by introducing the human performers and the AI to the audience as well as the basic tenets of improvisational theatre. The performers then ask the audience for suggestions like a fictional climate crisis facing their city in the future or a recent news headline they read about climate change, the AI and human performers then improvise together in real-time to craft playful narratives that offer a unique perspective on the subject. Through fun games and story structures, the human performers lead the AI and even, vice versa. At one point the AI takes over completely, leading to some memorable moments on stage. The show is powered by a customised technical application and design built by the artists, that is still being perfected to uncover new possibilities of play. 

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The Team​

The performance has been developed by an international, interdisciplinary team from performing arts, technology, music and visual arts backgrounds. This includes Blessin Varkey (India), Gaurav Singh Nijjer (India), Monica Hirano (Brazil), Ranji David (India), Tajinder Singh Dhami (United Kingdom), David McFarlane (United Kingdom) and Tiz Creel (United Kingdom).  The artists first met during the BeFantastic Within Fellowship, a unique AI art program initiated by Indian tech-art organisation BeFantastic in early 2022. The artists collaborated across different timezones and artistic practices over the last year to discover the potential intersections of AI and theatre in the build-up to the show’s premiere. The collective brings an intergenerational, postcolonial perspective on climate change and how can the discussion be around the role of the individual and that of an entity (or entities) in the larger climate crisis. 

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Technology ​

Climateprov uses a custom-built AI application that integrates speech recognition, text generation models like GPT3 and GPT 3.5, and text-to-image generation models such as DALLE and Stable Diffusion. The team initially explored using other models like GPT2 and BERT for specific Improv games and scenes, but they were eventually replaced with newer models that produced faster and better results. The AI is then visualized and presented to the audience on the stage, allowing them to have a visual reference of the technology and interact with it in real time.

 

Additionally, we had a work-in-progress showcase at RangaShankara theatre on 12th March 2023 also featured an avatar of a Climate Scientist, which was fine-tuned with the GPT3 model. The AI element of Climateprov is explored for real-time interaction between the performers and the audience, resulting in a unique and unpredictable theatrical experience.

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Intention

Through this project, we are trying to bring a new, conversational approach to talking about the climate crisis. One that is not based on fear-based messaging or scientific fatigue, but instead, comedy. This approach allows us to offer a fresh perspective on the ongoing climate crisis and invite wider participation from citizens and civil society. Each performance is unique and personalized to the location. The show premiered at the FutureFantastic AI & Arts Festival in Bangalore, India in March 2023 and is scheduled to perform at the LaLaLand Festival in Amsterdam, Netherlands in July 2023. In Bangalore, we addressed issues of frothing lakes and flash flooding while in Amsterdam, we address the rising sea level and loss of ecology. Additionally, artificial intelligence is used to bring forth real-time data and information around climate change, which the human performers use to build a narrative.

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