Technology has updated a long American tradition: the circus.
First, some history. The circus swelled in popularity in the 19th century, thanks in large part to showmen P. T. Barnum, James A. Bailey and the Ringling Brothers. Irvin Feld acquired the combined Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey in 1967, which means Ringling Bros. is now produced by Feld Entertainment (a company whose chairman is worth $2.7 billion). When you think “circus,” you may remember the show in its so-called golden age before its closure in 2017, when Feld halted the three-ring circus performances due in part to its long-protested animal collection.
Now, after a five-year hiatus, the “greatest show on earth” is making a comeback in cities like Baltimore and Philly, sans the live animals. The company behind it describes the show’s adoption of technology as a tool used to break down barriers between the Ringling audience and performers.
The show now includes what is suggested to be an artificial intelligence-driven “robo-dog” with a distinctive pink mohawk, as Rob Lange, the tour manager for Ringling, told Technical.ly.
“Probably the closest thing we do [have to AI] is we do have a robot dog,” he said. Her name is Bailey Circuit, or Bailey for short: “We sure think it’s got artificial intelligence because it seems awful realistic to be more than somebody running it with a joystick.”
