From Building Mud Bricks to Computer Music

Humans and computers making music together, it’s the best of both worlds.

Ge Wang is a professor of music, a computer scientist, and director of the Stanford Laptop Orchestra – an orchestra in which human musicians and computers collaborate to make music. “I once thought computer music was abstract and inaccessible, but it can be very playful, too,” he says. Humans and computers making music together, it’s the best of both worlds, Wang tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.

Episode Reference Links:

• Ge Wang's Stanford Profile
• Ge Wang's Personal Website
• Stanford Laptop Orchestra (SLOrk) Ge Wang directs: Stanford Laptop Orchestra
• Music programming language Ge Wang built: ChucK
• Ge Wang’s book: Artful Design: Technology in Search of the Sublime
• Artful Design | Pi-shaped Person
• Artful Design | Ocarina
• Scott A. Lindroth (Ge Wang’s professor at Duke who taught his first computer music class)
• Perry R. Cook (Ge Wang’s Computer Science professor at Princeton who inspired him to merge computers and music)

Connect With Us:

• Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website
• Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon
• Connect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction 

Host Russ Altman introduces guest Professor Ge Wang and his work around the intersection of AI, computer science, and music.

(00:02:48) Early Inspirations and Merging Music with Technology

Ge Wang shares his early experiences with music and computers, leading to his unique career path combining both passions.

(00:07:42) Developing Musical Tools and Instruments

Significance of playfulness in merging music with computer science, illustrated by projects like the Ocarina app and the Stanford Laptop Orchestra.

(00:13:27) The Role and Impact of AI in Music

The evolution of AI in music, with deeper questions about AI's role and the value of human creativity.

(00:18:28) Music, AI, and Future Generations

The future of music and AI in the context of a parent, and the cultural dimensions and values that will shape the use of technology in art.

(00:20:19) Ethical and Cultural Concerns of AI in Music

Ethical dilemmas and cultural implications of using AI in music, copyright issues and the potential for generic AI-generated content.

(00:25:09) Rethinking the Role of AI in the Creative Process

AI’s role in creativity, the value of the creative process over the mere output, and the potential for AI to enrich rather than replace human creativity.

(00:29:32) The Concept of a Pi-Shaped Person

The "Pi-Shaped Person," with emphasis on the importance of disciplinary expertise, domain knowledge, and an aesthetic lens.

(00:33:52) Conclusion

Connect With Us:

Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website

Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon

Connect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook