Reflections From the Cast of The Third Voice: Stephanie Schulte on MoralPLai

The Third Voice, the artistic outcome of the MoralPLai Project, was presented on May 22, 2025, at the Amerikahaus in Munich. Mirjam Novak, Eva Riekenbrauck, Swaraj Oturkar, Stephanie Schulte, Ravi Rege and Joanna Semmelrogge were the six actors who brought the play vividly to life under the theatrical direction of Professor Kresny, with assistance from stage manager Emma Hoffmann.

As the MoralPLai team continues to explore the impact of The Third Voice, we invited the cast to share their experience through a short set of questions, touching on everything from the motivation that brought them into the project, to their evolving thoughts on AI, and the moments from the script that left a lasting impression.

Stephanie Schulte took on a dual role as both a Shopper and a Philosopher-Scientist in The Third Voice. Here is an inside look at her journey exploring these roles, along with her reflections on the overall MoralPLai experience.

Enjoy the read!

1. What inspired you to join the MoralPlai project?

What inspired me most to be part of the MoralPLai project was the fact that the project was about a research-based theater play. I was always dreaming about putting psychological research findings into a theater play, but I did not know that such a form of theater already exists. So, I was interested to see how it would unfold.

2. How comfortable would you feel taking guidance from an AI chatbot on a personal issue?

If I were to ask an AI chatbot about a personal issue, it would be like asking a friend. I would never rely solely on the guidance of an AI chatbot or just one friend. If I could not make up my mind on a personal issue myself, then I would always take more than one perspective into consideration. Therefore, yes, I would feel comfortable using an AI chatbot, but only because I see it as one possible opinion and not the ultimate truth.

3. Has this play influenced your perception of the role of AI in our daily lives, either positively or negatively? If so, in what ways?

The play has definitely strengthened my perception of the role of AI in my daily life. I can use it, but I never really fully rely on it. So the play has neither influenced my opinion of AI positively nor negatively. I think, like any other technology, AI has its advantages and its downsides and people should always use it with caution.

4. If you had to choose just one sentence from the script to keep, which one would it be, and why does it stand out to you?

For me, it’s always interesting to keep questions and not declarative sentences. Because in the course of time, you will always find new answers to those questions or come up with new things that you haven’t thought about before. Therefore, for me, when we look at AI dealing with moral questions, the question that I want to keep is: “And then how do you decide whose morals to embed, to follow?”. It stands out to me because, as I understand AI, it will always be fed with reasoning made by humans. Thus, the question also arises whether moral understanding will develop over time and across cultures…

5. What final thought would you like people to take away from this experience?

I hope that people will take away from the play that AI does not hold the ultimate truth, but can be a third voice that may be taken into consideration when thinking about moral questions and dilemmas.

Interested to learn more? Visit the MoralPLai Project webpage and stay tuned for updates.