Eliza Stage Play Revisits the Birth of AI

Melbourne Theatre Company’s Eliza revisits the origins of conversational artificial intelligence through the story of computer scientist Joseph Weizenbaum and his work at MIT in the 1960s. Written by Australian playwright Tom Holloway, the production centres on the creation of ELIZA, the early chatbot whose simple text interactions surprised users by appearing emotionally responsive. Dan Spielman plays Weizenbaum, whose later concerns about how people related to machines became increasingly influential as AI developed. The production uses that historical moment to examine present-day anxieties about automation, human attachment and the limits of machine understanding. The review praises the cast but argues that a play about technology becoming uncannily human should feel more emotionally immediate and connected.

The Guardian, Tim Byrne – Eliza review – an ambitious, unsettling play about the birth of AI – 3rd October 2026