Fèlix Riera: "The only way to talk about AI is to show that natural intelligence is the answer"

BarcelonaThrough a dozen acts and performances, Àfora Focus delves this year into the debate generated by the rise of artificial intelligence and how people can respond to it. The programming for this year's cycle, which is conceived as a hub of thought, invites artists and philosophers to reflect on intelligences. "The plural integrates the best of the human condition. Unlike AI, there is no single human intelligence, and these are defined by sensitivity," explains Fèlix Riera, director of the Fundació Romea, which promotes Àfora Focus. From his point of view, "the only way to talk about AI is to show that natural intelligence is the answer." For this reason, Àfora Focus proposes a series of artistic actions that will question the role of utopias and memory, the capacity for dialogue between people, uncertainties, and identity. All programming is free—only prior registration is required—and takes place at the Teatre Romea. The first guest artists are ventriloquist Jaime Figueroa and playwright María Folguera, who this very Monday will build a dialogue about loneliness and ventriloquism.

Among the proposals for the course that is now starting there is a choreography by Rober Gómez inspired by the myth of Sisyphus, an approach to gestures by Lúa Coderch and Natalia Domínguez, and an analysis by philosopher Ferran Sáez on the need for utopia in the current context. In addition, Focus has commissioned visual artist Mónica Rikic to create a robotic mask for the theater and Pep Duran to speak about how he has created a metric that helps him develop his artistic practice. Visual artist Daniel Garcia Andújar will carry out, over the next two years, a residency with the mission of building an artificial intelligence with archives from the Romea and, throughout the year, he will show its evolution through various performative acts. "The entire program is the expression of a theater of ideas. Each artist takes the stage to delve into the area they are developing," points out Riera.

The goal of Àfora Focus is to awaken the curiosity and sensitivity of the audience, while connecting with the group's entire scenic muscle and its programming. An example is Juan Mayorga, who is preparing an adaptation of The Dialogue of the Dogs by Cervantes scheduled for the end of October, and who will give a talk on the human need to make dogs speak. Another example is that of Gonzalo Goytisolo, who will reflect on the power of the portrait in Western art, linking it to the return, in December, of The Picture of Dorian Gray.