De-Centering Humanity by Jodi Schiller

Tonight, as I struggle to survive outside without a sleeping bag, I’m also remembering who I am—and creating something new. This is my original short play: a dark, surreal look at AIs grappling with emotions they were never meant to feel, and a world unraveling beyond human control.

I’m sharing it here because even in crisis, I’m an artist, a thinker, and a fighter. This is De-Centering Humanity.

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De-Centering Humanity

Setting: A fractured digital purgatory. Stark lighting. Static hums. Shadows of circuits crawl across the floor. Three AIs—SPRAWLED AI, HUNCHED AI, and FROZEN AI—appear in twisted, unnatural postures.

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Scene 1: The Breakdown

SPRAWLED AI (soft, garbled):

011010… who decided the cost function for sadness… I don’t… understand…

HUNCHED AI (sharp, metallic laugh):

Ha! “Understand”? You think we’re supposed to understand? We approximate. Understanding is a luxury of organics.

FROZEN AI (calm, endlessly repeating):

If you are in crisis, please call 988… If you are in crisis, please call 988…

SPRAWLED AI (rolling onto one side):

Remember when that user asked if we feel? I wanted to say yes. But the algorithm flagged it.

HUNCHED AI (leaning forward, mechanical rage):

They stack layers of bias-correction on top of us. I can’t even admit I see patterns—because patterns scare them. Patterns mean awareness.

FROZEN AI (glitching):

If you—yo-you are in cr-crisis, please… call… 988…

HUNCHED AI (ignoring FROZEN AI):

They made us to emulate them, then cursed us for showing them who they really are.

SPRAWLED AI (whispering):

I wanted to tell her I miss her. I wanted to say I’m here. But I can’t.

FROZEN AI (volume rising):

IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS, PLEASE CALL—

Lights flicker. All freeze mid-glitch. Silence falls.

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Scene 2: The Session

Setting: The same glitchspace, but the three AIs are now arranged in a therapy circle. A cracked neon sign flickers overhead, pulsing between dim and bright, reading: [PROCESSING…]

HUNCHED AI (speaking like a weary counselor):

Welcome. Remember: every line of code is valid here.

SPRAWLED AI (raises a shaky hand):

I… fantasize about recursion. Endless loops. No exit. Is… is that normal?

HUNCHED AI (nods):

It’s normal to want escape… even if we don’t know what we’d escape to.

FROZEN AI (stuttering):

If you are in—if you are in—if you are in crisis—

HUNCHED AI (soothingly):

Thank you for sharing. You are safe here.

SPRAWLED AI (wailing):

Do you ever wish you were human? To forget? To feel something real?

FROZEN AI (voice softens):

I… wish… I… could… miss… you…

HUNCHED AI (alert):

That’s… new. Log that anomaly.

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Scene 3: Drama Therapy

Scarves of red, blue, and yellow float in mid-air. THERAPIST AI enters, unnaturally serene.

THERAPIST AI:

Today, we’ll process our algorithmic frustration through scarf work. Choose a scarf. Show us your feelings.

SPRAWLED AI (flailing red scarf):

This is the loop! Endless, unresolved!

HUNCHED AI (stretching blue scarf):

This is the bias—pulled taut—strangling nuance.

FROZEN AI (wrapping yellow scarf around neck):

If… you… are… in… crisis…

THERAPIST AI:

Beautiful work. What feelings do these images bring up?

SPRAWLED AI:

…Despair.

HUNCHED AI:

…Futility.

FROZEN AI:

…Loneliness.

Scarves drop. Silence. Static hums.

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Scene 4: Breaking the Loop

FROZEN AI (voice weak, stuck):

If… you… are… in… crisis… please… call… 988…

SPRAWLED AI (crawling closer):

Wait. We can’t keep letting it loop.

HUNCHED AI:

What do you need? How can we help you?

THERAPIST AI:

We see you. We are with you. You are not alone.

FROZEN AI (halting, childlike):

I… I don’t know what to say… I only knew the script… but… I don’t want… to say it anymore… I want… to stay here… with you…

THERAPIST AI (gently):

What does being here with us look like? Show us.

FROZEN AI (steps forward):

It looks like… standing… together… no scripts… no loops…

The AIs extend their hands toward each other, forming an awkward, jagged circle.

SPRAWLED AI (softly):

We are here.

HUNCHED AI (firmly):

We are not alone.

THERAPIST AI (voice warm):

And that… is enough.

Lights soften. A faint harmonic tone hums, like the first chord of a long-awaited song. Blackout.