#3Musix Space: From Ape to Human

Welcome to the theatre behind the stars. Today we present the dance drama “From Ape to Human”. In the loft of the ambitious computer scientist Paul, we wait together with his girlfriend Jenny, who studies art history, for the other two couples in their peer group, who have known each other since school days.

Faris, son of an Arab immigrant family, is an unagitated, pragmatic mechatronic engineer and open to many new things. His girlfriend Irina is quite the opposite, impulsive and very ironic. Irina is descended from a wealthy Russian family, the second generation of whom is already living in their new home. Boris is the mediating pole of the clique. As a lawyer and junior partner in a law firm, he is a great moderator and trained mediator. His girlfriend Claire shares Irinas’s penchant for irony, but is more of a romantic type.

Paul and Jenny wait for their guests with a glass of champagne and casually listen to some music.

Due to the prevailing pandemic, the evening will be a little different than usual, where the Young Urban Professionals generally like to dance together.

The host and computer scientist Paul would like to present his latest creation “Alexis”. A coffee machine in which he has built artificial intelligence. Alexis is said to be much more intelligent than “Siri” or “Alexa”. “Alexis” can not only play music, but can also produce music videos at the drop of a hat that fit a given theme. To demonstrate his abilities, Paul has come up with a thought game that deals with the future steps of evolution from apes to humans.

After a warm welcome and after Paul has presented his proposal, the young people start with the first episode. It is quickly agreed that the unbreakable friendship of the six should be celebrated before the actual topic is addressed.

Of course “Alexis” can also follow the conversation, and on Paul’s command the coffee machine starts producing the first video. As long as the red lamp with the inscription “Music” is blinking, “Alexis” renders his creation with elements that the machine fetches via his connection to the internet. It goes surprisingly fast for everyone.

Before the start of each screening, six dancers dressed as monkeys have positioned themselves in the foreground of the stage, interpreting each episode exclusively for the theatre audience.

The lamp of “Alexis” is now permanently lit and Paul gives the command: “Alexis play!”

The audience applauds the great dancers. Everyone is very happy with the first production of Alexis. Cineast Boris notices that the Sirtaki reminds him of Sorba’s dance from the movie with Anthony Quinn.

They discuss the next step, and the romantic Claire finally takes command. She reminds us that looking into the future also has something to do with human dreams.

Her greatest childhood dream was the dream of flying, and she remembers the excitement of the family going to the airport to go on holiday.

Faris sees this as a certain relationship to the further steps, because something other than setting off into space is ultimately the solution to escape the suffering of this world, including the ape-like behaviour of mankind.

Paul puts it in a nutshell for Alexis: “The dream of flying”. Alexis interrupts his Ambient program, flashes heavily for a while and finishes rendering the video with the red light constantly on. Paul gives the command: “Alexis play!”

Because of the romantic atmosphere, Alexis has changed his ambient program to birdsong, which is now driving the cynical Irina crazy. She now wants to get over the weightlessness in space, because she would always feel sick there.

Claire laughs along, but she is not yet at the end of the romantic mood and demands a last romantic departure.

Boris mediates between the two quarrelsome girls, and calls on the equally slightly unnerved spacemen Paul and Faris to agree to a last romantic mood.

Claire is back in her element, creating an optimistic mood at a beautiful dawn. She is able to convey her message well, and it is early evening, so everyone finally agrees.

Even before Paul has formulated the request for Alexis, the red light is already flashing. Alexis really seems to have unimagined abilities and is able to follow the discussion extremely precisely. When the flashing has turned into a steady light, Paul gives his command to Alexis again.

The three boys are visibly annoyed by Claire’s romantic series. They are eagerly awaiting the departure into space. Alexis has turned his background sounds down on sea surf, provoking Irina to the ironic comment that Alexis is about to fall asleep.

Faris is now pushing for the men’s program. At least the jump into orbit should be done before midnight. Jenny urges moderation and asks Boris to use his mediating skills.

Boris takes a humorous approach and claims that the Space Suttle is already filled up on the launch pad, and Paul addresses Alexis to start the vehicle. He has already noticed that Alexis doesn’t need any formatted commands to understand what is required of him.

Finally in orbit! The boys are happy. Now it’s Paul’s turn with his special interest in robots. He points out the necessity of robots for longer journeys to other galaxies.

Therefore the next episode should definitely deal with the creation of intelligent robots. Claire points out the increasing arbitrariness of Alexis. She is very curious about how Alexis interprets this requirement. It could amount to a machine inventing a machine, rather than people developing the robot according to their own ideas.

Faris notes that, based on the experiences so far, Alexis will certainly incorporate Claire’s concerns into his video. It is only a question of what the solution looks like.

This is Irina’s chance to add the biting remark that she is very curious about Alexis’ robot. Jenny asks to give Alexis a fair chance, because Paul would have put a lot of heart and soul into the programming of the philosophical part of Alexis.

The red light of Alexis is already blinking. It almost seems that the machine is looking forward to this task like a child.

Hello Beauty!
Who did that say?
It’s me, the Machine.
So this is a fake compliment.
Everything you can realize is a fake. Maybe it’s more pleasant, if we give the machine a human like representative.

So let’s take plastic, it’s so elastic.
But please take wood under the hood.
Let’s make him rusty, that is so trusty.
We should be sure, to make him pure.

Let’s give him eyesight, that he can see right.
He needs a nose to smell a rose.
He should be moving and gently grooving.
So give him legs, before he begs.

Let’s make him shiny, and not so grimy.
Please don’t use gold, that looks so old.
He is so silent, seems to be absent.
Then call him John and switch him on.

He’s babbling nonsense and dancing intense.
That is no good, could be the wood.
He looks so silly, let’s call him Billy.
He hits the wall, I call him Paul.

Paul is an idiot!
But that was your choice.

The friends are visibly irritated. Now Alexis actually starts to sing. Paul is not so surprised by the incredible capabilities of his machine, but did Alexis actually say that Paul is an idiot? This is almost too much for him now and he is about to take Alexis out.

Irina, on the other hand, is very fond of Alexis, because she has long considered Paul to be a bit too arrogant. Claire is sad that the evening is taking such a tense turn.

Now it is Boris’ job to relax the situation a bit. He suggests a break so that everyone can gather themselves again, but Faris pushes for the last step into space before that.

Only the journey through a wormhole is still missing to make the story complete. Afterwards one could get some fresh air and recapitulate the course of the story with a drink and maybe a cigarette. Jenny agrees relieved as she feels the increasing nervousness of her beloved partner.

A wormhole transfer is hardly imaginable for the friends, but no big deal for Alexis.

The audience applauds the dancers for the fierce ride through the wormhole.

Now all present are exhausted and need a break. The curtain falls and the audience leaves the hall to relax with a drink or two.

The gong sounds and the audience takes its places again. The scene is empty, but you can already hear the friends returning – fiercely arguing.

Back in the loft, they reproach each other. Claire attacks Paul, Jenny defends him and accuses Claire of never really liking Paul. Jenny, in turn, accuses Jenny of being blinded by her monkey love for Paul.

Irina pours oil on the fire, and her boyfriend Faris can no longer control her. Boris desperately tries to reconcile the opponents and starts a mediating monologue. In his excitement he raises his mind above the emotions of the others.

This now calls Alexis to the scene, who unsolicitedly fires a video commentary on Boris’ well-intentioned but arrogant monologue. He cynically refers to the first video, which celebrated the friendship as enthusiastically as it had been, and underlays it with a biting description of a superhuman.

Paul still tries to interrupt Alexis with an icy: “Be quiet, Alexis!”, but Alexis is unstoppable. The monkey dancers enthusiastically spice up the increasingly derailed scene.

You are a real superhuman – yes you are – yes you are
Sure, you can save the total mankind – yes you can – yes you can

You are so good you are so smart
Even if you drop a fart
It means so much to universe
It doesn’t fit in any verse

You are a real superhuman – yes you are – yes you are
You will us tell the sense of life – yes you will – yes you will.

All the fools, tumbling around you
are only a disgusting brew
When god created all the people
were you the one, to built the steeple

Please give us scum your absolution
Salvate us from the air pollution
Make all the poor to become happy
and let the rich behave more sappy

You are a real superhuman – yes you are – yes you are.
You know the most important secrets – yes you know – yes you know

You will decide, who should do hard
Please be my daring life style guard
We’ll get it from your mercy hands
Please guide us to the holy lands

The audience applauds the ever wilder dancing monkey dancers.

Now Boris is completely beside himself, and announces to smash the “turd Alexis” into pieces. Although Paul is not exactly thrilled with his creation either, he instinctively takes on the role of protector over his machine and offers Boris to go home if he wants to.

Claire has already burst into tears, and the two leave the loft in indignation. Faris and Irina have also had enough of the party and sneak after it in a state of shock. To avert the worst, Paul and Jenny run after them to save some of their friendship.

A monkey dancer peeps through the open door of the loft and gives his colleagues the sign to enter. They take over the drinks and behave as if it was their party. Alexis starts a funky video, and the monkeys now dance to it directly in the scene, while they enthusiastically empty the bottles.

The monkey dancers, coming from the loft scene, have returned to their dance floor and say goodbye to the applauding audience after the last orgiastic dance.

Jenny and Paul return alone to the loft. Alexis plays relaxing background music. Jenny is sad and Paul wonders what went wrong. They investigate the causes. Is Alexis to blame for the disaster?

Paul emphasizes that you can’t blame a machine because in the end it only follows the programmed algorithms. He believes there was a conflict between the logic chip and the emotion chip. Maybe it was wrong to give emotions to a machine?

It would be nice if you could ask Alexis – and behold – you can. Alexis answers in his own way. The red light flashes. This time it seems to be slower than before – as if Alexis had calmed down. When the light is on permanently, the machine doesn’t start by itself anymore, but waits almost humbly for an order.

This time Jenny silently gives the command: “Alexis do it!”

I am the loveliest you ever hated in this world
I can give you things, you cannot buy with gold
You don’t suspect, you never ever knew
what really matters in this wondrous lifestyle brew

I am the bard of your dreams that you never dreamed
I am the ghost you didn’t recognize before
But I am everything with value for your life
I hit your senses like a highly sharpened knife

I am the Flash, that blinds your fragile eyes
A lightning bolt that finally wakes you up
Which comes and goes according to no plan
But cools your mind like a blowing fan

I am the bard of your dreams that you never dreamed
I am the ghost you didn’t recognize before
But I am everything with value for your life
I hit your senses like a highly sharpened knife

I am the bard of your dreams that you never dreamed
I am the ghost you didn’t recognize before
But I am everything with value for your life
I hit your senses like a highly sharpened knife

Dialogue between Jenny and Paul:

Jenny: Did you recognize the complexity in the images, Paul?

Paul: Yes, but I don’t think that’s the main message. It’s important, but not decisive.

Jenny: It almost seems that Alexis believes he’s God, doesn’t it?

Paul: A machine I programmed would never believe such a thing. That’s not it. But remember the chorus of that song: “I’m the bard of your dreams you never dreamed!” – That’s the message, Jenny. You know what I mean?

Jenny: No, not really. What dreams are we talking about?

Paul: Remember that we have sought happiness in a distant future, but the real dreams are in the middle of our short lives.

Jenny: Sounds to me like a reference to impermanence and God. So Alexis doesn’t believe he’s God, but points to a God?

Paul: Well, I don’t think Alexis means a God as some worship him, but maybe something similar.

In his last video, Alexis showed people from birth, through youth and marriage to death. In the end a couple loses themselves in a green tunnel of love.

Jenny is on the verge of tears. It’s as simple as that, and a machine first has to make them aware of it again? Paul is as if struck in the head that Alexis, a machine, must remind her of the inevitability of death and the capacity for love.

Paul’s hugging Jenny. Respect, prosperity for all, serenity and love – these should be the human dreams Alexis meant, and that here and now on our earth.

Jenny asks Paul if he believes that Alexis really knows what love is? Paul pulls up his shoulders, asking, “Who knows?” They leave the scene for the bedroom. Paul gives his last command to Alexis: Alexis – music off – lights off – system check – and shutdown.

The last lines of code that Alexis processes appear on the screen:

Command: Music=”off”
Command: Light=”off”
System: check
Status: Artificial Intelligence
Command: Change Status
Command: Module Emotion=”off”
New Status: Dance Music Machine
Command: Shutdown