How creative can a machine be? And can we really hear the difference between human and AI-generated music? The lecture "Music meets AI - How machines create melodies", which took place on 29 January in collaboration between Akademie für Tonkunst and the Lichtenberg School, was dedicated to these exciting questions. Students from the advanced computer science course and the basic music course were invited - an unusual but all the more exciting mix.
The lecturer, Matthias Lang, is not only a percussion teacher at the academy, but also a computer scientist with a master's degree from TU Darmstadt and has been researching music and artificial intelligence for several years. With his dual perspective as a musician and scientist, he guided the participants through the fascinating interface of algorithms and creativity.
Between Mozart and machine learning
We began by clarifying the terminology: What exactly is artificial intelligence? And how long has computer-generated music been around? Surprising for many: The idea of algorithmic composition is by no means new. Mozart already experimented with random principles, for example in his famous dice game, which generated melodies using simple rules.
But how advanced is the technology today? And can we really tell whether a piece was made by a human or a machine? This question led to a lively discussion - opinions differed.
Creating music with AI - an experiment
The theoretical part led to a practical phase: the students had the opportunity to generate their own pieces of music using AI tools. The result? Fascinating and challenging at the same time. While some styles seemed surprisingly authentic, others were almost unrecognisable. The participants were able to find out for themselves where the strengths and limits of the technology lie - and what role human creativity plays in this.
AI as an artist? An open question
In the final discussion, the crucial question arose: Is an AI really creative - or just a tool? While some saw the generated pieces as nothing more than a copy of existing music, others argued that the real creativity lies in the targeted use of AI - comparable to a musical instrument played by humans.
The topic of AI in the music industry was also hotly debated: Would we spend money on an AI-generated concert? Opinions differed widely here. While some emphasised that music should remain a deeply human art form, others pointed out that many concerts already work with playback - and that ultimately the atmosphere is more important than the origin of the music.
The event impressively demonstrated how closely music and technology are now linked. The successful cooperation between Akademie für Tonkunst and the Lichtenberg School could be continued in the future - because the question of how machines create music remains exciting.
