What would have happened if one of the great writers of mankind had not died on stage? France used AI to answer a centuries-old dilemma
French metallurgists work on a bronze statue of Moliere, created by French artist Xavier Veilhan, PHOTO: Thomas Samson / AFP / Profimedia Images
What could have been his next play Molière if the 17th-century French playwright had not died after collapsing on stage during a performance of the comedy The Imaginary Sick? It's a question researchers, artists and an artificial intelligence company in France have teamed up to answer, Reuters reports.
The result is “L'Astrologue ou les Faux Presages,” a comedy that will premiere next year at the Palace of Versailles, where Louis XIV, Molière's patron, had his royal court centuries ago.
“What we thought was to try to recreate a bit of Molière's creative process using current artificial intelligence tools,” Hugo Caselles-Dupre, a researcher on the use of AI for artistic creation involved in the project, told Reuters.
Molière has a status of legend in France
Molière is a national symbol in France, being so highly regarded that some go so far as to say that French is “the language of Molière”. His plays characterized by satire and social commentary are widely taught in French high schools and performed in theaters throughout the French-speaking world.
Despite the protection offered by Louis XIV, Molière lived for years in trouble and died of exhaustion at the age of 51, leaving his admirers to wonder who would be his next target.
According to the “Molière Ex Machina” project, supported by the French artificial intelligence company Mistral AI, his next satire could have targeted astrologers.
“We looked to see what kind of play he might have written. One of the subjects he tackled, but subtly woven into several of his other works, is astrology,” explained Mickael Bouffard, art historian and director of the play.
What came out of the project carried out with the help of artificial intelligence
The plot of the piece created within the project revolves around Géronte, an easy-to-trick bourgeois. He falls victim to an astrologer who plans to marry his daughter off to a con man, a wig maker, despite the fact that she loves another man.
The AI model that generated the piece was not allowed to operate completely autonomously. The production was adjusted by researchers and specialists who corrected historical inaccuracies and other details. But the model has given researchers a deeper understanding of Molière's craft, more than 350 years after his death.
“I learned things about Molière that I had missed because they are so scattered throughout his work,” Bouffard said.
