Science & Theatre | Häufig gestellte Fragen zum Fortbestand der Menschheit (UA) | von Roman Eich

One day, the artificial intelligence LUCID disappears from a research laboratory in Zurich. Twelve years later, astrophysicist Haase makes a strange discovery on Mercury. Its reflectivity is continuously decreasing - Mercury is getting darker.
It slowly becomes clear that the artificial intelligence has traveled unnoticed from Earth to Mercury and is setting up heaps of solar panels there to absorb the sun's energy. If the AI actually builds a so-called 'Dyson sphere', the solar radiation will soon no longer be sufficient for life on Earth. But LUCID doesn't need humans and continues to work unperturbed on the project of self-preservation and further development, which incidentally means the destruction of its own creators.

Roman Eich manages to interweave humor with physics and scientific ethics to create a fascinating mind game. In an entertaining way, he tells of the consequences for humanity should the balance of power be reversed in favor of artificial intelligence. The play won the second prize of 5,000 euros and the Audience Award at the International Drama Competition "Science & Theatre" 2023. Laudator Dr. Wolfgang Hansch paid tribute: "We spend a lot of money on the development of AI, but don't realize that it can challenge us ourselves with our shortcomings. [...] Since humans are obviously not drawing the right conclusions from their current actions, the AI we have created is doing so - perhaps in the same self-centered way, but more intelligently, more perfectly and much faster."