Thank you everyone. My name is Tony Morton. I am a computer science and creative technology teacher at St Paul’s Girls School in London. Beyond that, I am also an artist, musician, and a general creative technologist. However, those don’t pay the bills. My interests lie with data physicalization, turning data into physical representations, personification, and interactive systems. I am going to talk about ChatGPT in an academic institute. There is a real fear at the moment about institutes being scared of the ethical connotations of students creating work and submitting it as their own. Plagiarism is a concern. I am part of a strategic group at my institution thinking about how we can navigate this environment, embrace it, and allow students to take ownership. Today, I am not going to talk about the ethical implications. I want to talk about something more profound - can ChatGPT write a convincing piece of music?
First off, I cannot get ChatGPT to create an audio file or analyze audio. It only produces text-based output. However, it can produce code. So, I decided to use a piece of software called Sonic Pi to play back the music. Sonic Pi is a fantastic software that allows you to code music.
To start, I chose Taylor Swift as my inspiration and created a basic chord sequence. But the output was uninspiring - 120 beats per minute in the key of C major with simple triads. It was not what I expected from ChatGPT.
I tried to make it more interesting by using seventh chords and inversions. However, ChatGPT had trouble with the syntax and abbreviations. It made assumptions and sometimes abbreviated words incorrectly. It was inconsistent and frustrating.
Despite the challenges, I managed to create a basic music piece with Sonic Pi. It was not complex or impressive, but it was a start. The question then arises - should we value AI-created art? AI can create impressive things, but do we appreciate them because they are new and exciting? Have we defined the role of the artist and what we want from art? Jacob Collier, a musician, believes that AI can be a tool in music making, but it is the humanity and human experiences that make people want to listen.
In conclusion, ChatGPT’s ability to write convincing music is limited. It struggles with syntax and lacks the human element that makes music appealing. While AI can be a useful tool, it is the human touch that truly resonates with listeners. Thank you.
