My inspiration for writing Humans Only Café came from reading feminist works, which sparked a series of reflections on the current trend of a one-dimensional “career woman” style of feminism popular on social media. Combined with the difficult questions about artificial intelligence that we explored in IB Philosophy class, I decided to write this play set in 2045 that incorporates both of these elements.
In this world, the image of the “career woman” has evolved into a new form of oppression against women, and artificial intelligence has advanced to the point where it is almost indistinguishable from humans.In such a world,how should we navigate human relationships? How might women’s social roles change ?Can robots truly think like humans, or even possess the capacity to love? And should humans accept love from robots?
These are the questions I want to explore with the audience through this short science fiction play. This play also deals with the idea of courage. The two female characters, Maeve and Diana, both broke out of what is expected of them in search of a form of true self, whether it’s Maeve trying to prove she has the capability to be like a human through dating a human boyfriend, or Diana giving up the existing role of a working women to become a women so-called “not a feminist” in order to search for her meaning and identity. I do not provide a definitive answer in the play—because I don’t have one myself. Perhaps these questions will become ones that all of humanity must confront, reflect on, and grapple with together.