Generating the Future

Exploring Music and Poetry Created with Artificial Intelligence

Part of PRiSM Future Music #2

15 June 2020

This two-part exploration into the creative uses of artificial intelligence focuses on generation: generation of music and generation of text. Join PRiSM’s Doctoral Researcher Robert Laidlow for a presentation featuring quartet performances from members of the BBC Philharmonic and RNCM soloist Vanessa Guinadi.

In the first part, you will hear the result of a PRiSM and BBC Philharmonic collaboration, as a group of BBC musicians performs “Parallel Endings”, preceded by a short talk by composer Robert Laidlow. “Parallel Endings” utilises machine learning to imagine different directions Beethoven might have taken in writing his work “Opferlied” and allows us to question what creativity is, and whether machines might have it.

In the second part, we are treated to a live performance by RNCM soloist Vanessa Guinadi of several new extremely short works, “Songs Without Meaning”, which set texts entirely generated by AI. Through close listening to the differences between these texts, which are created by different algorithms, we hope to examine the fingerprints and individual styles of each artificial intelligence network used. This AI is one product of an ongoing research project by PRiSM team members David De Roure, Christopher Melen and Robert Laidlow.

Live Twitter Q&A will run alongside this event with Robert Laidlow @Robert_Laidlow and Vanessa Guinadi @sopranovanessa. Live Stream running time approx. 1 hour.

Vanessa Guinadi performing Songs Without Meaning