The magazine MAQ September 2018 MAQ Magazine November 2018 | Page 177

MAQ/November 2018 / 07

Playing partner

Jon McCormack, director of Monash University's SensiLab, is interested in how humans and AIs can collaborate. The lab's AI drummer, a work in progress, is an example – recordings of a human drummer and musician are fed into it, demonstrating how they play together. Musicians are then invited for an improv session at the lab's sound studio, which has room for a handful of people, technical and musical kit, and a 12-inch colour monitor at eye level. The AI drummer listens to the human musician and adapts its drumming to the musician on a minute-by-minute basis. It may also take the lead if it thinks it can do better.

Portrait of Edmond de Belamy created by AI. Obvious