AI and creativity Nicolas Obin Sciences & Technologies of Music and Sound IRCAM, CNRS, Sorbonne Université - AIPPI

AI and creativity

Nicolas Obin
Sciences & Technologies of Music
and Sound
IRCAM, CNRS, Sorbonne Université

                            © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

Overview of IRCAM
  IRCAM – Research and creation
  Founded in 1977 by Pierre Boulez
  Both scientific lab (CNRS, Sorbonne) …
  … and music studios, composition classes
  Unique institution for music tech. research.

            Composers

                                                             … for renewing
                                                            musical expression
Engineers
                        Scientists                          through science &
                                                                technology
                                     © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

Can an AI be
creative?

               © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

What is inside an AI?

       © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

AI in theory
n   Merriam-Webster defines artificial intelligence as:

« A branch of computer science dealing with the simulation of
intelligent behavior in computers. »
« The capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human
behavior. »

n   From English Oxford Living Dictionary:

« The theory and development of computer systems able to
perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as
visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and
translation between languages. »
                             © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

AI in practice

n    Weak AI

1)    a computer program
2)    that can learn how to solve a task/problem
3)    using examples/data

n    The program, the way to solve the task, and
     the data used are all defied and provided by
     humans
                       © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

Computers were cool before AI
n   Expert systems

n   An expert system or a system based on knowledge is a
    computer system that makes decisions or solves problems in
    a particular field by means of knowledge and analytical
    rules defined by experts.

                            © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

First music played by a computer (A. Turing, 1951)

https://soundcloud.com/guardianaustralia/first-ever-recording-of-computer-music
                                      © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

First music composed by a computer (Hiller, 1956)

n   Illiac suite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0njBFLQSk8

                                   © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

Singing
o   Queen of the night aria
    (Mozart, the magic flute)

o   CHANT program (IRCAM,
    Xavier Rodet / Yves Potard,
    1982)

o   Synthetic    voice    100%
    created by an algorithm

                            © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

WHAT AI
             CAN DO
IN DIGITAL CREATION?

Reproduce artificially the human voice

French actor
André Dussolier
ircamTTS (IRCAM,
2011)

                     © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

Juger Pétain

Réalisation : Philippe Saada
Production :
Maha Productions & Planète (2012-2014)
Diffusion :
Planète, France 5 (2014-2015)
                                 © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

WHAT AI
   CAN DO
IN MUSIC?

What AI can do in music ?

Google Doodle, 2019
https://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-johann-sebastian-bach
                              © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

What AI can do in music ?

Sony CSL, François Pachet (2015)
https://www.flow-machines.com/
                                 © 2019, Nicolas OBIN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buXqNqBFd6E

What AI can do in music ?

                  Omax & Improteck improvisation
                  softwares (IRCAM)
                  Human and machine co-operation

        © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

What AI can do in music ?

IRCAM, Jérome Nika (2015)
                                 © 2019, Nicolas OBIN
http://repmus.ircam.fr/nika/improtek

Can AI really
   be creative?

https://www.christies.com   © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

Can AI really be creative?

o   Creation is a long      and
    complex process
o   Not a « one-shot »

                     © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

Can AI really be creative?

o   The act of creativity assumes the « reflexivity »
    of the subject towards his work

o   Intentionality, criticism, choice

o   Today’s AI is a computer program which can
    simulate in surface a creative activity

                        © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

Can AI really be creative?
o   The creative process is go-and-back between
    respect and transgression, expectation and
    surprise

o   Today’s AI can only imitate and reproduce
    from its memory

o   How to stimulate transgression and surprise?
    (but with coherence)
                     © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

Can AI really be creative?

o   Today’s AI is a smart assistant that can
    stimulate the creativity of humans (e.g.,
    experimentating ideas)

o   Human action is always needed to select,
    decide, improve, and organize

o   What about the IP?
                     © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

Credits

IRCAM (by alphabetical order)
G. Assayag, P. Esling, J.-L. Giavitto, J. Nika, A.
Roebel, X. Rodet, C. Veaux and so many others!

Others (by order of appearance)
Google DeepMind, A. Turing, L. Hiller, Google
Doodle, SonyCSL/F. Pachet, Obvious collective,
M. Proust

                     © 2019, Nicolas OBIN

AI and creativity

Nicolas Obin
Sciences & Technologies of Music
and Sound
IRCAM, CNRS, Sorbonne Université

                            © 2019, Nicolas OBIN