All this month we are talking to Dr Heather Knight and Dr Piotr Mirowski every Wednesday Morning. This year they are hosting a brand new event in the heart of London – Robot Fringe Festival . It is set to take place on the 2nd July at Senate House, part of the University of London. The event is set to explore experimental, bold and creative ideas as part of the Internal Conference on Social Robotics ICSR+ART 2026. All this month we are talking to Heather and Piotr to find out all about it. This week we speak to Piotr about Improbotics to find out all about the new show format.

We have to talk about Improbotics, you are showcasing a new show this year at Brighton Fringe. What can you tell us about it? 

We created a brand new show, called “Artificial Reality”! It should be more… unsettling.

Piotr – what can you tell us about this new format you have for Improbotics show? 

We gathered a writer’s room at Improbotics to write a brand new show format: a spoof of reality TV where budget cuts have been so severe that contestants are replaced by AI, and where fake celebrities are brought in a desperate attempt to raise viewership. Audiences (who act as the producers of the show) are willfully complicit in the process.

Our show is a high-tech satire of voyeurism and capitalism. While human contestants compete for audience love, they are constantly at risk of being eliminated or replaced by deep-fakes and chatbots. We use state-of-the-art video generation software to create the illusion, and we feed the actors with AI-generated lines via augmented reality glasses.

The show has developed so much since we last spoke, it must feel like such an accomplishment to as to how it’s evolving?

What we are really proud of is how we collectively changed, improved, scratched or rebuilt the show over the years! We have a diversity of opinions about AI, and the show speaks to how differently we feel about it.

With AI growing in popularity all the time has it had an impact on your show or do you find it harder to now stand out? 

We pioneered improv theatre with AI back in 2016. Our previous shows, Artificial Intelligence Improvisations, and RoboTales, had been guided by an ideal of science comedy and of public communication about science and AI. We got incredible coverage over the years, from the Financial Times and the BBC to the Royal Institution, and engaged audiences on the nature of humour, creativity and human spontaneity. We received accolades from ethics institutions, because we are a theatre company that works on building bridges between human agency and a considerate use of AI. We even got featured in textbooks on theatre and technology!

Great stuff… This year, we decided it was time to burn all of those bridges, and explore our collective fears of replacement. With comedy.

Are you returning to Edinburgh Fringe this year? 

Oh yes! We will be at Just the Tonic on 15-30 August, 3pm at The Big Cave (more info here).

“What we are really proud of is how we collectively changed, improved, scratched or rebuilt the show over the years!”

Piotr

What are your favourite things about the festival? 

Seeing other acts. Last year I fell in love with … Earnest?, Julia Masli’s ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse For England, and pretty much anything at Summerhall.# Over all the years, what has been the thing you are most proud of Improbotics? 

Over all the years, what has been the thing you are most proud of Improbotics? 

Starting the dialogue between artists and technologists of all walks of life.

Finally, why should people come and see your show? 

If you love AI, you will enjoy yourself and be tempted to do more theatre. If you hate AI or are scared of AI, you will enjoy yourself and be motivated to do more tinkering with technology.

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