#006 – Steve Benford and Juan Pablo Martinez Avila – Creatively Embodying Musical AI

Abstract:

Somabotics is a new UKRI Turing AI Fellowship that is exploring the creative embodiment of artificial intelligence—how can artistic experiences of robots (broadly construed) lead to more meaningful human experiences of AI? And in turn, how can artistic practice and thinking inspire AI to be more ambiguous, playful, improvisational and even ‘responsibly irresponsible’?  Steve and Juan will focus on one thread of the programme concerned with embodying musical AI, presenting an ongoing project to create AI that can improvise traditional music live in response to human players, and considering how this might be physically embodied, including augmenting musical instruments.

Bios:

Steve Benford is the Dunford Professor of Computer Science at the University of Nottingham where he co-founded the Mixed Reality Laboratory. He is a UKRI funded Turing AI World Leading Research Fellow and directs the EPSRC-funded Horizon Centre for Doctoral Training. Steve’s research explores artistic applications of digital technologies through performance-led methods that engage artists in creating, touring and studying unique interactive experiences. Reflection on such experiences has inspired fresh perspectives on interaction such as trajectories and uncomfortable interactions.

Juan Martinez Avila is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science at the University of Nottingham. Within the Mixed Reality Laboratory, he has co-founded a special interest research group on interactive and intelligent music technologies (I2MT), in which he leads musical instrument design research, using various methods, such as soma design, participatory design and design ethnography. His research explores how soma design is transmitted and adopted by artists, especially musicians.