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As machines are getting smarter, we are all becoming more dependent on them for our everyday activities. Computer science, however, is also about people, creativity and imagination. During this evening Drs Bob L. Sturm and Oded Ben-Tal will talk about what happens when computer science meets music technology, and Dr Nick Bryan-Kinns will explore how interactions between sound and technology can shape our future. Enjoy the pint while you hear all about it!
Tales from the AI War on Culture: The Computer that Composes an Endless Number of 'Folk Tunes'
Dr Bob L. Sturm and Dr Oded Ben-Tal
(Lecturer in Digital Media (Queen Mary University of London) and Senior Lecturer/Composer (Kingston University))
Since time immemorial, folk music is music by and for ordinary people. Nowadays, people are being replaced by machines. So of course it makes sense that someone would program a computer to "fart out" an endless number of "folk tunes". Isn't that going to cause the value of music to collapse even more than it already has? Bob and Oded will discuss some of the controversies around their work from the past 2 years and clear up the whats, whys and how could theys. By the end you will see how talk of the demise of human creativity by AI misses an essential point.
Do you hear that?
Dr. Nick Bryan-Kinns
(Reader in Interaction Design and Director of Media and Arts Technology CDT, QMUL)
We live in a post-screen world where our fridges talk to us and our shoes know when we go for a walk. I will talk about how we design and create wonderful and engaging interactions with technology where we are not glued to our phone screens. Starting from the simple computer ‘beep’ to the cutting edge audio of today’s smartphones I show how we can use sound and touch in more expressive and imaginative ways through technology. The future ranges from the Internet of Things to Wearables and Interactive Experiences.
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