LIVERMORE — “The Moon is Always Full,” the second of two Science@Play productions this spring from the Shakespeare & Performing Arts Regional Company (SPARC), will be presented in a dramatic reading at the SPARC Theater Studio, 2172 Railroad Ave., on Friday, March 27, through Sunday, March 29.
The play by Berkeley City College instructor Cleavon Smith explores the possibilities and potential liabilities of brain implants enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI).
Brain implants are already used in various medical applications, especially to restore motor function in patients with paralysis or physical disabilities. But what comes next, and what are the ethical implications as technology advances?
In Smith’s “The Moon is Always Full,” a “good-for-nothing son consorts with a whistleblower within his mother’s company to expose how their clinical trial for AI-enhanced neuromodulation to treat anxiety is also a Trojan horse for gaining unlimited access to personal data,” according to a summary provided by SPARC, which said the play is suitable for patrons 12 and older.
The play is being sponsored by the Livermore Lab Foundation (LLF), the nonprofit philanthropic arm of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which is already researching AI-driven medical innovation.
“The Foundation wanted to support “The Moon Is Always Full” because its theme relates to the work we’re funding at LLNL, where researchers are applying the lab’s unique capabilities to model the human brain and tackle neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and Parkinson’s,” said LLF Executive Director Sally Allen. “By bringing these complex scientific concepts to the stage, we hope to build more understanding and dialogue around the potential of AI-driven medical innovation and the transformative impact it can have on human health and cognitive research.”
Dramatic readings of the play will be at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and at 4 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $35 and available online at sparctheater.org.
Last week, SPARC presented a dramatic reading of a play developed by Science@Play program director Michael Wayne Rice using material generated by AI, followed by discussions with the audience about the quality of the writing and the existential threat to playwrights of using AI in the creative process.