A neural network, trained to simulate my own aesthetic judgments, is responsible for the computer’s decisions during its interaction with the musician: i.e., whether it will “mirror” the sounds played by them, propose new sound material or simply remain silent. The title Bias refers not only to the subjective nature of aesthetic judgments, but also to machine learning algorithms making arbitrary or erroneous assumptions about data. The ambiguity in the title is a comment on the unattainability of objectivity, both in human judgment and in data-driven models.
On a second level, Bias explores the relationship between human and machine agency by blurring the boundaries between them and blending human and computational decision-making. By training a neural network to predict my aesthetic preferences, I aimed to create a new hybrid agency that is based on, yet departs from, my own aesthetics. The decisions made by the computer during its interaction with the musician cannot be entirely attributed to my own preferences, as these are “distorted” through AI bias. The result is a hybrid human-machine agency that shapes the performance in dynamic and, at times, unpredictable ways.
Video
Credit: vog.photo
Credit: vog.photo
Credit: vog.photo
Credit: Lucija Novak
Szilard Benes, Credit: Laszlo Juhasz
Biographies
Artemi-Maria Gioti is a composer and artistic researcher working in the fields of artificial intelligence, musical robotics, collaborative and participatory sound art. Her compositions include works for solo instruments, ensemble, live and interactive electronics and have been performed in Greece, Austria, Portugal, Germany, Denmark, Canada, The Netherlands and the USA. She studied Composition at the University of Macedonia (Greece), Electroacoustic Composition at the University of Music and performing Arts of Vienna, and Composition – Computer Music at the Institute for Electronic Music and Acoustics (IEM) of the University of Music and Performing Arts of Graz. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree at the same university in the field of Music and AI. She is a member of the electronic duo intra-sonic (Visda Goudarzi and Artemi-Maria Gioti) and the artist/curator collective meta. (https://www.metaksi.com/)
