Creativity Squared: Harmonai on Generative A.I. Music

Dear Creativity Squared Member,

If you’re into music, you won’t want to miss today’s episode that explores all things open-source generative A.I. music!

Our guest is Zach Evans who helped found and is the head of Harmonai, a Stability AI research lab and online community. Stability AI is the world’s leading open source artificial intelligence company. As an integral part of Stability AI, Harmonai is dedicated to creating open-source generative audio models and pushing forward creative uses of generative A.I. in music production.

Harmonai is by artists and for artists. Zach is a programmer and musician and is driven by the computational possibilities of the future of music and the belief that community is everything.

Zach knows that generative A.I. is a nuclear bomb for the music industry, and his mission is to turn it into nuclear energy.

He cares deeply about artistic freedom and the musicians, DJs, and producers that he’s empowering with Harmonai. He leads with substance, is most excited about how people will use these tools beyond what he can imagine, and hopes people make music that’s weirder and different from what exists today, pushing the boundaries of the technology.

Zach’s passion for community, music, and artistic freedom is infectious. He landed in a dream role and his story is intertwined with the evolution of generative A.I. music.

Listen to the episode to hear his story and how he went from being a Microsoft developer to becoming an EDM musician to now leading a dynamic team of artists and programmers to develop the next generation of A.I. music models. Dolly Parton and A.I. also come up, and you’ll hear as Zach demystifies diffusion, shares his perspective on open source development, discusses the challenges to improve A.I. music models, and thoughtfully articulates his vision of A.I. technology empowering artists.

Scroll on to discover:

• 🎧 More on Episode 12

• 🤯 A.I. + Creativity News Roundup

• 🎼 A.I.’s Present on Beethoven’s Birthday | Beethoven X

• 💎 Creativity Squared Premium Member Benefits

• 💝 Milestone Rewards

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Here's to exponential possibilities!

Helen

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How creatives are collaborating with A.I.

Listen: Ep12. Zach Evans:
Harmonai on A.I. & Music
Discover how Harmonai is Enabling Artistic Freedom and Revolutionizing Music Production with Zach Evans, Head of Harmonai

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This week we explore the evolution of A.I. in the music production industry with Zach Evans, the head of Harmonai. From his early days as a Microsoft developer to his current role leading a team of artists and programmers, Zach shares his journey and the limitless potential of A.I. in music.

Harmonai, a community-led lab under Stability AI, aims to develop the next generation of A.I. models for music. In this episode, Zach discusses the importance of the open-source development community, the challenges to be faced in improving A.I. music models, and his goal of empowering artists through A.I. technology.

Join us for a fascinating A.I. industry origin story, a nuanced conversation on ethics around A.I., a brief lesson on some of the technology’s fundamental concepts, and Zach’s thoughts on how humans and A.I. will adapt to each other.

Your A.I. + Creativity News Roundup

With all of the A.I. news flooding our feeds and screens, we’ve got you covered. News to check out includes:

• Google’s rumored ‘Genesis’ AI tool for journalists could probably write this article Verge — Genesis aims to help produce high-quality news content, but concerns about potential misinformation and job displacement for journalists arise. Google plans to collaborate with news organizations to ensure responsible implementation.

• Apple Has Created Its Own AI Chatbot, Report Says CNET — Apple reportedly created "Apple GPT," a chatbot service using its own generative A.I. tools called "Ajax" to compete in the A.I. space. Unlike competitors OpenAI and Google, Apple is yet to launch its large language model commercially.

• This is how generative AI will change the gig economy for the better ZDNET — Gali Arnon, CMO of Fiverr, believes A.I. will augment work and create new opportunities for freelancers, rather than dominate the job market. Employers must address ethical concerns, ensuring transparent A.I. use, but collaboration among regulators, businesses, and A.I. developers can strike the right balance, Arnon argues.

• Introducing Llama 2 Meta — The next generation of Meta’s open-source large language model is available for free for research and commercial use and includes pre-trained and fine-tuned language models. Meta partners with Microsoft for the release, aiming for responsible and open innovation in A.I. development.

• Will workers be paid differently in the age of AI? BBC — While some experts believe productivity gains may not translate to higher wages for all, highly skilled workers could see pay increases. A.I. may also help reduce wage inequality by opening opportunities for a more diverse pool of workers. Organizational efforts and policy advocacy may be essential to safeguard workers' compensation.

• Authors call for AI companies to stop using their work without consent  The Guardian — Authors, including Margaret Atwood and Viet Thanh Nguyen, have signed an open letter demanding that A.I. companies obtain permission and compensate writers when using their work. Some authors have even taken legal action against A.I. companies like OpenAI, claiming copyright breaches.

• We’re Using A.I. Chatbots Wrong. Here’s How to Direct Them. New York Times — To improve the effectiveness of A.I. chatbots and reduce misinformation, users should direct them toward high-quality data sources, writes Times tech columnist Brian X. Chen.

• The Hollywood Actors Strike Will Revolutionize the AI Fight Wired — The involvement of prominent actors adds weight to the issue, signaling a turning point in A.I. awareness and discussions about its implications across various industries.

Read: A.I.’s Present on Beethoven’s Birthday | Beethoven X

In light of Creativity Squared's interview with Zach Evans and all the innovation happening in the A.I. music space, we wanted to take the opportunity to highlight a project that showed the world just what this technology is capable of.

The project, called Beethoven X/AI, was a global collaboration between computer scientists and musicologists to recreate Beethoven's unfinished 10th Symphony, based only on some of Beethoven's scattered notes and a cutting-edge A.I. that had not existed before.

Read the blog post that touches on the incredible work that went on behind the scenes to bring some closure to the 200-year-old musical mystery. In it, the lead A.I. developer on the project also addresses some of the blowback they anticipated receiving from Beethoven purists. Although the project was released before ChatGPT made A.I. a household name, it's interesting to see the parallels between their comments and what Zach Evans said on the show about using A.I. to enhance human creativity rather than replace it.

Read and Listen to Beethoven X/AI and decide for yourself if the A.I. managed to capture the real Beethoven's greatness.

Thank You to Render

Creativity Squared is supported by Render which provides Digital Likeness solutions for personal brand businesses, thought leaders, influencers, and business leaders who want to leverage their synthetic, A.I.-powered Likeness to communicate more effectively online and create audio and video content from anywhere without going on camera. Learn more by visiting: https://rendermedia.ai.

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