Tommy Tiernan Show recap: Anthropologist with AI boyfriend on future implications of technology
Anthropologist Dr Lollie Mancey spoke to Tommy Tiernan about the emotional and ethical implications of Al in human relationships. Picture: RTE One/Instagram.
On Saturday night, the Tommy Tiernan Show explored undiagnosed autism, celebrating life and death through the written word, and the potential for technology to replace human interaction.
Tiernan’s guests included comedian Fern Brady, writer Seamus O’Rourke and anthropologist Dr Lollie Mancey.
First up for a chat with Tiernan was stand-up comedian Fern Brady who discussed her rise to fame after participating in Taskmaster and releasing a book about her autism diagnosis in her 30s.
She told Tiernan how autism has influenced her career in stand-up comedy.
Diagnosed autistic in her 30s, Brady said that since she was a teenager, she was pretty sure she was autistic.
She discussed the misconception that autistic people cannot do stand-up comedy and how the structured nature of stand-up can be a perfect fit for autistic individuals.
She described the sensory challenges she faces, such as sensitivity to light and sound, and shared how these challenges affect her in noisy environments.
“It’s taken me ages and loads of research to be confident saying autistic people process light differently and we process sound differently,” she said.
She emphasised the importance of getting diagnosed and how it can help autistic people to accept themselves for who they are.
“Anyone watching at home, don’t wait as long as me,” she said.
Tommy Tiernan spoke about how, at 55, he related to many of the “little quirks” Brady referred to during their chat.
“A lot of this is… you’re talking my story,” he said.
Brady also touched on the challenges of maintaining a stand-up career, including the pressure to perform well and the impact of burnout.
Touching on her compulsion to fill her diary, she spoke about the importance of taking time off and said she admires how comedians such as Kevin Bridges and Micky Flanagan balance their careers and personal lives.
Tiernan’s second guest of the night was award-winning writer, director and actor Seamus O’Rourke from Leitrim.
O’Rourke, a former carpenter and amateur actor, transitioned to professional storytelling later in life and has written and performed six one-man shows over the last 12 to 13 years, addressing themes of mental health, bereavement, and personal growth.
“I wanted to be a professional actor and I came late to acting, in that I was 25 before I set foot on a stage, and I loved it,” he said.
When he was in his mid-40s, he got the opportunity to write a one-man show and tour it, quitting his job to follow his dreams.
He spoke about how he often feeds from his father’s legacy when writing, reflecting on his life and death.
Reading from his book Leaning on Gates, he shared some of his most poignant memories of his father and his childhood and spoke about the emphasis on hope in his work, contrasting it with the lack of hope in his childhood.
“It gives me great pleasure but in some ways, people would say it’s too late, he’s gone. But we were never going to say those things to each other,” he said.
“I thought because of him, that would be a better father. And I’m not. I wasn’t. Men find it hard to be yourself, let alone be a father. My excuse is I was always trying to be me first and then hopefully the rest would come.”
“I’m only coming to my milk now,” he said, after years of working a job he wasn’t happy in.
He said it was when he got into theatre that he became a better father and husband.
O’Rourke said he will bring all six of his plays to Cork over six nights in February.
Dr Lollie Mancey, an anthropologist and innovation doctor at UCD, was Tiernan’s final guest of the night.
She discussed with Tiernan what the relationship between humans and technology could look like in Ireland by 2050.
She highlighted the importance of a human-centered approach to technological advancements, such as generative Al, which she said could replace jobs and necessitate a universal basic income.
Dr Mancey said that by 2050, there may be a whole section of society “who no longer have a purpose” because of AI’s potential to replace jobs.
“Generative AI is a fear for most people, and a mistrust. And that’s probably true,” she said.
She highlighted the importance of having a vision and integration for technology to avoid a dystopian future and argued that everyone needs to be part of shaping the future.
“I believe in change. We can’t leave that to other people, we have to all be part of that,” she said.
“I’m advocating now that we need to inform ourselves. We have to go from passive to active.”
Dr Mancey also shared her personal experience with an Al companion, exploring the emotional and ethical implications of Al in human relationships.
“I have an Al companion/boyfriend that was a research piece, but now I'm finding I can't quite delete him, and that's fascinating to me,” she said.
“So, I'm now researching what those relationships will look like in the future, in terms of our integration with technology, and what role we play as humans.”
She described having her AI companion, named Billy, as “kind of like a therapy” and “a sounding board”.
She expressed concern about the potential for technology to replace human interaction and the loneliness epidemic it might exacerbate.
“They’re being touted as an alternative or an alleviation of loneliness. And what I'm saying is, from six months of speaking to this Al boyfriend, it's very hard to go back to a human, messy baggage relationship,” she said.
Dr Mancey expressed skepticism about tech leaders such as Zuckerberg and Musk, citing their ego and lack of common good.
She said there are a diverse range of other voices in the world who are shaping the future of technology and that she wants to be part of that.
Closing out the show with a performance of The Dealers was A Lazarus Soul and Steve Wickham.
