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Improbotics Prague

LocationPrague, Czech Republic
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Improbotics is a transnational theatre laboratory that pioneered the staging of improvised comedy alongside generative artificial intelligence, with the concept originating in 2016. The project functions simultaneously as a live performance and a public Turing test, in which an AI-powered chatbot delivers lines to one of the human improvisers via an earpiece while the rest of the cast attempts to ground the AI-generated dialogue within a coherent, emotionally present narrative. Prague-based performances represent one node in an international network of regional Improbotics casts.

History

Improbotics was co-created in 2016 by AI researcher Piotr Mirowski and improviser Kory Mathewson, later joined by drama director Jenny Elfving, science communicator Ben Verhoeven, and media expert Boyd Branch. The London cast premiered at the Nursery Theatre and subsequently performed at the Camden Fringe Festival in 2018 and 2019, Brighton Fringe in 2019, and multiple international improv festivals. A Swedish cast debuted in 2018 and a Flemish cast launched in 2020. The company has presented research at academic conferences including NeurIPS and published peer-reviewed papers examining the intersection of machine learning and improvisational theatre. International touring has brought the show to festivals across Europe and North America.

Artistic Identity

Improbotics occupies the boundary between performance art, science communication, and comedy, treating each show as a live experiment in human-machine collaboration. The company's aesthetic derives tension from the gap between the AI system's non-sequiturs and the human performer's effort to commit fully to whatever line the earpiece delivers, generating comedy through radical acceptance of failure.

How to Reference This Page

APA

The Improv Archive. (2026). Improbotics Prague. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/companies/improbotics-prague

Chicago

The Improv Archive. "Improbotics Prague." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/companies/improbotics-prague.

MLA

The Improv Archive. "Improbotics Prague." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/companies/improbotics-prague. Accessed March 17, 2026.

The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.