EP/31: MACHINES WRITING SONGS

The Best Song No One Wrote. AI Song Contest winner Jon Gillick

LISTEN ON: APPLE SPOTIFY STITCHER

In the epic 1968 Stanley Kubrick sci-fi film ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, Hal, an artificial intelligence (AI) sings a song called Daisy Bell while being decommissioned by the space crew. Over 50 years later, AI is no longer sci-fi. It’s here and it’s real. In this episode we’re joined by Jon Gillick, a computer scientist that was part of the winning team of the 2021 international AI song contest. Their winning track, "Listen to Your Body Choir" took inspiration from the song Daisy Bell, an homage to the 2001’s Hal. Daisy Bell was also the first song to be sung by a computer back in 1961. 

Jon joins us from the University of California, Berkeley. Jon specializes in the intersection of Machine Learning, Music Technology, and Human-Computer Interaction.  His current work centers around using machine learning to explore new ways of understanding and creating music and sound. Jon is also a trained electric and acoustic guitar player who has composed and recorded music.

Learn more at jongillick.com and find him on Twitter @jon_gillick.

About JON

Jon Gillick is a researcher, music producer and composer. He is currently finishing up his PhD at the UC Berkeley School of Information and the Center for New Music and Audio Technology (CNMAT), where his dissertation explores technical, social, and artistic considerations that come into play during creative interactions between people and algorithms, with the goal of designing meaningful, playful, and inclusive musical experiences. He produces music with M.O.G.I.I.7.E.D., winner of the 2021 AI Song Contest.