A Broadway Musical About AI and Automation? Read the Room.
by Chris Peterson
Ramp, the financial technology company that has made AI and automation a major part of its business and is used globally by corporations for expense reporting, is producing a one-night-only Broadway musical about paying bills.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Bill Pay The Musical will play one night only at the Broadhurst Theatre on September 25, and, to its credit, it has assembled quite a roster. Starring in the musical are Billy Porter, Billy Zane, Jessica Vosk, and Rema Webb. It has an original score by Jason Michael Snow, a book by Kevin Zak, direction by Keaton Wooden, and choreography by Antoinette DiPietropolo.
The whole thing is essentially a very expensive advertisement for Ramp’s bill-payment software, allegedly inspired by the old corporate “industrial musicals” of the mid-20th century. I say "allegedly" because this factoid was featured in its PR statement announcing this musical that other theatre outlets parroted. Maybe it was, I don’t know, but I’m always skeptical about corporate greed being inspired by nostalgia.
And sure, Ramp is hiring actual artists. From what I know, AI is not being used in the creative. And I would much rather see a technology company spend its marketing budget employing theatre people than watch it type a prompt into some generator and call it art.
But I still hate the timing.
Theatre artists are already nervous about what AI will do to their jobs. Designers are being asked to compete with images produced in seconds. Actors are fighting to maintain control over their faces and voices. Companies are searching for every possible way to cut labor while executives keep selling automation as progress.
Ramp itself has invested heavily in AI. We’ve used the product when it comes to corporate expense management; it's really fast and efficient at categorizing bills and matching receipts to charges automatically (no this is not a paid advertisement, as you’ll see in a second)
However, watching a company built around automating human work arrive on Broadway and borrow human artists' talents to make its product seem fun feels a little gross. Even if it’s only for one night.
I’m sure everyone involved is being paid well; that is what corporate America does well. Maybe the show could even be entertaining. Look at that cast. You would have to work pretty hard to make this cast boring.
Still, Broadway does not need to become a showroom for tech companies trying to make automation feel adorable. The industry already has enough trouble producing new work.. Now one of its theatres will host a corporate commercial about software taking over more workplace tasks, dressed up as a cute throwback.
Ramp will definitely have a post-show marketing plan for whatever happens on stage; I’m guessing we’ll see clips of this “go viral”, even if they have to pay to make it happen.
But with everything we are learning about AI and how it is displacing human work, I’m not interested in applauding its cleverness.
Read the room.