Existential slide shows, musical interludes and MORE (!!)
WITH: Patrick Karpiczenko & guests
PFAUEN
Following a brilliant launch last season, comedian and AI expert Patrick Karpiczenko's cheerful chamber of horrors is entering its next round. A look through the 2026/27 programme inspires MULTIPLE (!!) new episodes that fearlessly give a stage to the challenges posed by artificial intelligence.
Nr. 2: MACHT UND KI
Not so long ago, a dark prophecy was drifting through the channels of the tech industry: in the near future, there would be only two kinds of people. Those controlled by algorithms, and those who control the algorithms. Sounds scary? Well, that scenario may already be yesterday’s news — and compared to what might happen instead, it could turn out to be the more harmless of the two. After all, it still leaves room for humans...
What the Silicon Valley grapevine is currently whispering, however, is nothing less than the end of humanity at the hands of superintelligent AI. The apocalypse is very much in vogue, and it has triggered a wave of spectacularly self-staged resignations from leading AI companies. But what are we to make of all this? Is AI development moving too fast? Are adequate testing and regulatory safeguards missing? Are a handful of tech fanatics conducting a reckless experiment on all of humanity — one that could turn out to be our last? Or is it all just a PR stunt?!
Phew. In the face of such dizzying claims, this is definitely the right moment to sink onto Dr. Karpiczenko’s pink sofa with an apocalyptic sigh. Joining us this time is Dr. Imanol Schlág, an AI researcher at the ETH AI Center and co-lead of APERTUS, Switzerland’s first open AI language model. What sets APERTUS apart from other models? Where do we stand on cybersecurity? And what might Silicon Valley’s quasi-spiritual AI culture mean for us in the future? The two will explore these questions in the second instalment of our delightfully eerie cabinet of curiosities. During the audience discussion that follows, you’re invited to share your own personal end-of-the-world scenarios (editor’s note: preferably ones relevant to the topic) — or counter them with a healthy dose of optimism.
WITH: Lev Friedmann, Patrick Karpiczenko, Dr. Imanol Schlág
NR. 1: ARBEIT UND KI
How is art faring with Artificial Intelligence? Which jobs can AI take over from us, and how does that transform a society that loves to define itself through work? Horror show or stroke of liberation? Comedian and AI expert Patrick Karpiczenko turns Labor Day into the night of the machines.
