The Fiction Factory

CODI Edinburgh Fringe 2024

I’m appearing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August with a new show called ‘Is AI for real?’ I suppose I could have revamped the show from last year and take the pressure of myself, but I decided to write a brand new one. AI or Artificial Intelligence is a bandwagon I’ve jumped on and I’m not letting go.

I’ve already given an hour’s talk this year on AI and cybersecurity, so some of that material has been road tested, so I’m quite excited for this. Nervous of course. Going out in front of the paying public with no slides and no notes, is a scary proposition. Good news is I already have my script, along with the ten key phrases I have memorised to keep me right on the night. I just need to work on the various points within those ten parts and ensure there is a flow to the performance.

I had what you could call the graveyard shift last year, a Monday lunchtime, but I nevertheless got a great crowd along despite the timing after a weekend. This year I’m on the Sunday lunchtime, so I’m hoping for an even bigger audience. It’s a new venue for me this year, Stand 5 in York Place. Here’s the blurb.

As virtual worlds and deepfakes become a reality, the means to clone ourselves and anyone else on the internet is no longer science fiction. Artificial intelligence will provide huge benefits, but our data privacy laws could be seen as a barrier to realising its full potential. Are people prepared to give up their sense of self so others can replicate them? Cybersecurity expert Garry Scobie (The University of Edinburgh) discovers how we can regain control of who we believe we really are.

It’s on Sunday the 18th of August and all the details you need can be found at the link here.