Opening the festival on May 8th at 6pm is the Keynote/Performance What is AI?, a lecture in the form of a performance and vice versa, giving an overview on the past, present, and future of AI. Delivered by a cast of scientists, technologists, artists and performers, the evening features composer and vocalist Nick Hallett; professor of digital journalism at NYU and author of Artifiicial Unintelligence Meredith Broussard; computer scientist Adji Bousso Dieng; Hip hop, spoken word and theatre artist Baba Israel; New Yorker staff writer, author and humorist Patricia Marx; and drag performance artist Ragamuffin. Hallett, Israel, Ragamuffin will be presenting original work never before seen.