Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Emily Howell - The Computer Is The Composer
Emily Howell is not a person; it's a computer program that creates beautiful music all on its own. Developed by UCSC professor David Cope, Emily Howell is about to release its very first CD through Centaur Records.
Cope's initial effort was called Experiments in Musical Intelligence or EMI, which he pronounced as "Emmy". EMI was an analytical engine that could take the body of a composer's works and create new works that were in a similar style.
Instead of feeding Emily a database of works that already exist, he gave her a collection of works that EMI had produced to get it going and, from there, she began working on her own musical style. Cope described Emily's style to be similar to modern composers, a "sort of an amalgam of all styles" and very contemporary.
But what makes Emily interesting isn't just that; it's the fact that she can take audible feedback—musically or verbally—from an audience in order to modify her compositions. "The program produces something and I say yes or no, and it puts weights on various aspects in order to create that particular version," said Cope. "I've taught the program what my musical tastes are, but it's not music in the style of any of the styles—it's Emily's own style."
Should human composers see Emily Howell as a competitor, an artist in its own right? Cope thinks so.
Science fiction readers are already accustomed to the idea of a computer that creates compositions, both musical and artistic. In his 1984 novel Neuromancer, William Gibson had his AI Wintermute create music for the residents of Zion:
Update:
Readers thought about Sharon Apple, the virtual idol from Macross Plus. Take a look at this performance video from Macross Plus.
Around the start of 2003, Cope decided to take his decades'-worth of musical databases to the virtual dump. He kept the fruits of EMI's labor, but not the data that generated those pieces—"I essentially stopped doing historical replications. That aspect of my work was finished," he said. From there, he created what he describes as the succession of EMI: Emily Howell.
"Most living composers feel exempt from the controversy with EMI because their music hasn't been affected by the fact that any music that sounds like Mozart is good or bad," Cope explained. "Now those same composers are looking at a competitor—a virtual composer competing in the same arena with 'her' own style and music that is really excellent. It seems to me that these composers should feel a little less smug and more defensive about their position."
"Voices." The Founder from Los Angeles was staring at Case.
"We monitor many frequencies. We listen always. Came a voice, out of the babel of tongues, speaking to us. It played us a mighty dub."
"Call 'em Winter Mute," said the other, making it two words.
"Listen," Case said, "that's an AI, you know? Artificial intelligence. The music it played you, it probably just tapped your banks and cooked up whatever it thought you'd like..."
(Read more about computer-generated dub)
(Sharon Apple video from Macross Plus)
Sharon Apple is an artificial idol; she exists as a computer program which produces a hologram for concerts or other performances. Her programmers can take in audience responses via a special bracelet worn by concertgoers; this information is fed back into her performance. In public, Sharon appears as a black box, with a red optical sensor for a 'face'.
Also, I remembered Tei Toei, the idoru from William Gibson's 1996 novel of the same name.
And finally, take a look at this video of virtual singer Hatsune Miku. End update.
And finally, take a look at this video of virtual singer Hatsune Miku.
For poetry created by a computer, consider the verse transcriber from J.G. Ballard's 1971 story Studio 5, The Stars.
I was pasting down one of Xero's satirical pastiches of Rubert Brooke and was six lines short. I handed Tony the master tape and he played it into the IBM, set the meter, rhyme scheme, verbal pairs, and then switched on, waited for the tape to chunter out of the delivery head, tore off six lines and passed them back to me. I didn't even need to read them.
Via Ars Technica.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 10/5/2009)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 7 )
Related News Stories - (" Artificial Intelligence ")
Google's Nano Banana Pro Presents Handwritten Math Solutions
'...copy was turned out in a charming and entirely feminine handwriting.' - Isaac Asimov (1949)
Woman Marries Computer, Vonnegut's Dream Comes True
'Men are made of protoplasm... Lasts forever.' - Kurt Vonnegut
ChatGPT Now Participates in Group Chats
'...the city was their laboratory in human psychology.'
'AI Assistants' Are Actually Less Reliable For News
'Most men updated their PIP on New Year's Day...' - Arthur C. Clarke, 1978.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Replace The Smartphone With A Connected Edge Node For AI Inference
'Buy a Little Dingbat... electropen, wrist watch, pocketphone, pocket radio, billfold ... all in one.'
Artificial Skin For Robots Is Coming Right Along
'... an elastic, tinted material that had all the feel and appearance of human flesh and epidermis.'
Robot Guard Dog On Duty
I might also be thinking of K-9 from Doctor Who.
Wearable Artificial Fabric Muscles
'It is remarkable that the long leverages of their machines are in most cases actuated by a sort of sham musculature...'
BrainBridge Concept Transplant Of Human Head Proposed
'Briquet’s head seemed to think that to find and attach a new body to her head was as easy as to fit and sew a new dress.'
Google's Nano Banana Pro Presents Handwritten Math Solutions
'...copy was turned out in a charming and entirely feminine handwriting.'
Edible Meat-Like Fungus Like Barbara Hambly's Slunch?
'It was almost unheard of for slunch to spread that fast...'
Sunday Robotics 'Memo' Bot Has Unique Training Glove
'He then started hand movements of definite pattern...'
Woman Marries Computer, Vonnegut's Dream Comes True
'Men are made of protoplasm... Lasts forever.'
Natural Gait With Prosthetic Connected To Nervous System
'The leg was to function, in a way, as a servo-mechanism operated by Larry’s brain...'
Spidery 'Walk Me' Toyota Autonomous Wheel Chair Like Star Wars
Walk along with the emperor.
Dancing Robots Taught Dance Moves
'A clockwork figure would be the thing for you...'
Proof Of Robothood - Not A Person
'Who are you people? - Show 'em.'
Indonesian Clans Battle
'The observation vehicle was of that peculiar variety used in conveying a large number of people across rough terrain.'
The 'Last Mile' In China Crowded With Delivery Robots
Yes, it's a delivery robot. On wheels.
Tornyol Microdrone Kills Mosquitoes
'The real border was defended by... a swarm of quasi-independent aerostats.'
