A play about Ada Lovelace, the first computer, and AI today.

Augusta Ada Byron, now commonly known as Ada Lovelace, was an English mathematician and writer chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine. Her notes on the engine include what is recognised as the first algorithm intended to be carried out by a machine, which has led to her being described as the world's first computer programmer. Ada is a play set in the past and the present juxtaposing the world of Byron's daughter Ada Lovelace, who invented, with Charles Babbage, the maths that led to the first computer, and the way an Artificial Intelligence machine called Ginny upsets expectations as her researcher inputs knowledge of the world today. Perfect for use with young people to encourage discussion of issues concerning Artificial Intelligence, social conventions and girls into STEM subjects.

The play gives insight into Ada's life and work and re-imagines her carefully controlled childhood, collaboration with Charles Babbage, and fraught relationship with her family. It also intertwines Ada's history with a contemporary story about the potential of artificial intelligence.