Review: My AI Twin
My AI Twin flips the usual AI narrative, offering a grounded, funny, and thought-provoking take on identity, ethics, and tech in daily life. Shirin Brown’s play is short but rich, asking big questions with heart, humour, and a sense of real-world closeness.
“Xan, an elected councillor in local government, is making a bid for the mayoralty of her city. Overwhelmed by the demands of campaigning in a world dominated by social media, she takes a drastic decision.”
When I first read this description, it gave strong Black Mirror vibes. The title, My AI Twin, especially leaned into that expectation. But the play turned out to be something else entirely – and in many ways, better.
The AI I’ve come to know from popular media is often framed as eerie or dystopian, whether through the chilling tone of Black Mirror or other titles like Ex Machina or Love, Death + Robots. But My AI Twin offers a softer, more grounded take on artificial intelligence.
Written and directed by Shirin Brown, the play explores AI not as a looming threat, but as something already woven into our daily lives. Brown doesn’t shy away from the big questions, and instead addresses them in a way that feels honest, hopeful, and often hilarious.
What struck me most was how real it all felt – like something that could happen to any of us. Shirin wrote to me, noting:
“The themes I touch on are loss of identity (if someone talks to a replicant of you, perhaps unaware or confusing you with a real person), what is the basis of your relationship when you meet that person? There are also other issues around the ethics of AI, but then also, how far is using AI any different from having someone else write your speeches or manage your social media?”
Though it runs just over an hour, the play packs an impressive range of ideas. It’s sharp, entertaining, and deeply relevant. I highly recommend it – My AI Twin is an insightful and humorous take on one of the most urgent issues of our time.
My AI Twin runs from the 29th of July to the 2nd of August at the Basement Theatre.
