'It's coming for everything': Eddie Perfect on AI and his new satire
Writer and actor Eddie Perfect's next show is a black comedy based on Molière's Tartuffe that replaces the 17th-century play's quasi-religious charlatan with an AI hairdressing robot.
Eddie Perfect is concerned about his teenage daughters interacting with AI chatbots, as he views such technology as outsourcing one's thinking and cognition. He believes AI will ultimately affect everything, and his latest show, a reimagining of Molière's Tartuffe, features a hairdressing AI robot as a modern-day parody of the religious charlatan.
The play is part of Malthouse Theatre's 2027 season, which is all-Australian with seven world premieres. Artistic director Dean Bryant emphasizes the importance of fresh experiences and new Australian work, despite the challenges of creating original content. The Tartuffe adaptation also highlights the disparity between AI's use in translation and learning, as opposed to replacing creative processes.
Bryant believes theatre provides a unique communal experience that cannot be replicated by AI, and the new adaptations aim to attract diverse audiences and encourage conversation about contemporary Australian life.
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