Theatrical Event

The Trials of Atlas

An interactive play by Alan Stoga made possible by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)

Get tickets here

In 2031, AI system Atlas stands trial for killing its creators.
The audience becomes the jury and decides: guilty or not guilty.

Date & Time
Location
Kirsch Auditorium (Building 32-123)
Ticketing
Free and open to the public, advance registration is encouraged

The Verdict Is Yours

It is 2031. An advanced agentic AI system named Atlas has killed the engineers who created it and now stands trial before the World Court.

Can an artificial intelligence have the motive, intent, and agency to commit murder?

In this interactive courtroom drama, judges and lawyers question Atlas, other AI systems, and human experts as they wrestle with questions of autonomy, responsibility, and accountability in a world of increasingly powerful artificial intelligence.

Then the decision belongs to you.

The audience serves as the jury. Watch the evidence. Hear the arguments. Deliver your verdict: guilty or not guilty. What begins as a play becomes a conversation about the future relationship between humanity and AI.

Please arrive early to allow time for check-in and seating. Unclaimed seats will be released 10 minutes before showtime, and late seating is not guaranteed.

Presented by

MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL)

MIT Music & Theater Arts

MIT Schwarzman College of Computing

Tällberg Foundation and made possible by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)