There’s an apologetic and practical frankness to AI: The Waiting Room that is kind of charming. The fact that you will spend some time during the show waiting is literally part of the title. It’s far from an unpleasant wait, as it happens, and the concept is one that is just enough silly fun to carry it through.
The basic premise is to place 10 audience members in a small room, have them fill out a short questionnaire and, through their answers, a bespoke and unique experience is created for them by an AI algorithm via a mobile phone, one where they are sitting in a waiting room, waiting…
Explaining the particulars of the experience would probably take a lot of the fun away, although the creators have several scenarios they can apply to keep return visits possible. This is very much a show where how much you put into it can hugely affect what you get out, and also as very much an interactive show, a good sense of humour and willingness to have fun is an absolute must. It was all rather a giggle, with people having a great time and leaving with smiles on their faces.
It is also unfortunate that the technology was plagued with some issues. The C Alto venue’s Wi-Fi simply didn’t work, neither in the venue nor the rest of the building. This, added to the thick stone walls of Edinburgh’s Old Town, meant that mobile phone reception is hit or miss, depending on your provider. That said, the company was on hand to offer use of laptops or their own mobiles to assuage any issues and still manage to run the full show within the time allotted.
In the end, it all worked out fine and was all rather a good bit of fun. One which could use some sanding round the edges and a bit more showmanship in the setup, but was a whole lot of fun nonetheless.