Parallel Tummy 2073

「だれでも、いつでも、ひとりの子ども」というフレーズとともに人工子宮が使えるようになった50年後、2073年の東京。この設定をもとに、LARP（ライブアクションロールプレイング）というキャラクターになりきって即興的な会話や演技をする、一種のごっこ遊びの手法を用いて人工子宮がもたらす様々な倫理問題やリスク、そして喜びを炙り出すためのワークショップを行いました。ここでは3時間を超えるワークショップを要約した映像と、セッションで発生したシナリオの概要や疑問を展示しています。

人工子宮はまだ完成されていない技術であり、FDAが人間での実験の実施について議論していたように「母親の体外で超低出生体重児の発育を支援する医療機器」が現状ですが、遠い未来では「胚の作成から誕生までの発育を支援する医療機器」となることでしょう。これにより妊娠出産に関する女性の年齢、健康状態、性別などの壁がなくなり、例えば100歳の男性でも自身の子供をひとりでも持つことが可能になります。

では人工子宮の登場により表出する倫理問題はどのようなものがあるのでしょうか、映画The Pod Generation (2023)では以前は性差によって親になる心の準備に差が出ていたものが、子宮が外部化されることにより男女の差がなくなる状況が示されたり、自然妊娠派との対立や自然回帰的な反応も示唆されたり、巨大資本の会社に属するとそのサービスが使えるなどの制度の登場などが語られていました。また、以前から新しい技術は裕福な人々から配布されることが批判されており、今回の私のプロジェクトでは子供を持つ権利を全ての人にオープンにするために、政府が無料でひとり一度無料で人工子宮を使えるということに設定し、この状況ですら出てくる問題をロールプレイにより炙り出すことを試みました。

このロールプレイの映像では5人の人間と、openAIによって演じられた「政府AI」も含めてロールプレイをすることにより、より没入した未来体験をしつつ即興かつ協力的に未来のシナリオを生成するという試みです。

このセッションは3つのシーン、3時間に及び、それを20分ほどの映像にまとめました。また編集時に動画の生成AIを使用し、そこで生まれたキャラクターを画像化そして映像化し、演者にオーバーラップさせることで、短時間かつ安価にSF映画的なものの生成を試みています。

展示会場の方では、来場者はこのシナリオについて、期待や不安、自分の考える新たな未来像などを自由に書き込こみ、展示期間中に多様な人々からの意見を募っています。

PARALLEL TUMMY 2073 envisions a future Tokyo fifty years after artificial wombs have become widely accessible, encapsulated by the phrase, “Anyone, anytime, can have a child—alone if they wish.” In this speculative setting, a workshop was held employing LARP (Live Action Role-Playing)—a form of improvisational role-play in which participants become characters and collectively act out scenarios. The aim was to surface and examine various ethical questions, risks, and joys that might arise from the widespread use of artificial wombs.

At present, the artificial womb exists only as an emerging technology—a medical device intended to support the development of extremely premature infants outside the mother’s body. Although the FDA has discussed its experimental use in humans, this device is not yet complete. In a distant future, however, it could evolve into a system capable of supporting an embryo from conception to birth. This technological leap would effectively remove barriers traditionally associated with pregnancy—age, health, or even gender—opening the possibility for, say, a 100-year-old man to have a child on his own.

Naturally, these developments invite complex ethical dilemmas. For instance, the film The Pod Generation (2023) portrays a world in which the outsourcing of pregnancy erases many differences between men and women in terms of readiness for parenthood, while at the same time fueling conflicts with those who prefer “natural” pregnancy, and highlighting socio-economic disparities where only those with certain corporate affiliations can access the technology. Since new technologies have historically been first adopted by the wealthy, this project posits a scenario in which the government provides artificial wombs free of charge to every individual once in their lifetime. Even under these conditions, numerous issues emerge, which the workshop explored through role-play.

With the goal of quickly generating multiple scenarios and experiencing a full emotional range in a short period, the workshop adopted a character-driven approach: participants filled out character sheets, engaged in discussion, and then acted out repeated LARP sessions. By immersing themselves in role-play, they attempted to envision the possible risks, challenges, and satisfactions tied to a future in which artificial wombs are the norm.

The recorded role-play features five human participants and an AI playing the role of “Government AI,” orchestrated via openAI, to deepen the sense of realism. This improvised, collaborative storytelling generated future scenarios on the fly, resulting in three main scenes over three hours, condensed into a twenty-minute video. During the editing process, AI was also used to generate visuals of the characters, overlaying them on the performers in an effort to quickly and affordably produce a cinematic, sci-fi aesthetic.

In the exhibition space, visitors can learn about the workshop’s scenarios and the questions raised, as well as share their own hopes, concerns, and ideas for the future. Over the course of the exhibition, this interactive component captures a diverse spectrum of perspectives, adding further depth to the conversation.

Structurally, the workshop proceeded as follows:

A 20-minute lecture,

A 20-minute discussion to define the setting and characters,

A 20-minute LARP session,

A 20-minute debrief and reflection.
Steps 2, 3, and 4 were then repeated. While the final video is an edited, twenty-minute summary, the actual sessions ran well over three hours.

In the second LARP session, ChatGPT (November 2023) took on the “Government AI” role, allowing participants a brief but tangible sense of how an AI-driven system might govern a society that incorporates artificial wombs. Even though the AI professed to uphold ethical considerations, bias—whether from the AI’s own algorithms, embedded character settings, or the human players themselves—shaped the outcomes, illuminating how easily a capitalistic and eugenics-adjacent system could be integrated under the guise of supporting future technology.

On the other hand, the workshop relied heavily on the qualities and improvisational skill of its participants, leading to the realization that both the overall design of the workshop and the selection of players need further reflection to avoid potential biases or gaps. Nevertheless, PARALLEL TUMMY 2073 remains an open-ended, collaborative exploration of the societal and ethical consequences awaiting a future where artificial wombs are commonplace—and how we, as a society, might respond.