Algorithms, music and machines

Algorithms are becoming ubiquitous in society and personal data is being used to drive their decisions. The rise of AI-powered interfaces has seen more devices present in everyday life, such as Google and Amazon’s conversational interfaces, whose algorithms are becoming more obfuscated. There is a need for a shift in focus to repurpose devices and their algorithms as creative tools and for exposed processes in doing so. Moreover, in the creation of these new models, further research is needed in designing new ways of interacting with and evaluating musical algorithms. Current AI methods like machine learning tend to be static: how can we make dynamic and collaborative interactions with machines?

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Lizzie Wilson is an interdisciplinary artist and PhD researcher whose interests include live computer music, musical artificial intelligence, and human-machine co-collaboration. She has performed live computer music under the alias digital selves at various algoraves around the UK. Her current work looks at creating meaningful expressive experiences from generative algorithms and musical pattern. She recently collaborated with BBC R&D to design ‘Unspoken Word’, an interactive AI music composition sonic art installation exhibited at Ars Electronica 2018.