Title: Computational Creativity: the case of generative music.

Abstract:
The ability to invent and use tools is a defining characteristic of human beings: from the invention of the wheel to the development of cell phones, technology and humans have co-evolved. In recent years, artificial intelligence has been successful at endowing machines with autonomous and proactive behaviors to achieve tasks that normally rely on human intelligence. Computational creativity is a new and expanding field that attempts to simulate human creativity, and to discover creative processes that are beyond human capability. This field brings together academics and artists to design systems that are capable of making creative decisions. This presentation will introduce and motivate this subfield of Artifitial Intelligence through the presentation of various projects realized at the Metacreation, Agents and Multiagent Systems laboratory directed by Prof. Philippe Pasquier. In particular, the field of musical metacreation will be introduced in details and various results and discussion topics will be covered.

Bio:
After studying computer science, artificial intelligence and cognitive sciences in Europe, Canada and Australia, Philippe Pasquier joined Simon Fraser University’s School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT) in January 2008 as an assistant professor. Philippe Pasquier is both a scientist specialized in artificial intelligence and a multi-disciplinary artist. As an artist, he has served as a member or administrator of several artistic collectives (Robonom, Phylm, MIJI), art centers (Avatar, Bus Gallery) and artistic organizations (P: Media art, Machines, Vancouver New Music) in Europe, Canada and Australia. His scientific research focuses on the development of models and tools for endowing machines with autonomous, intelligent or creative behavior. His contributions ranges from theoretical research in artificial agent theories to applied artistic research in computational creativity and generative art.

His work has been shown internationally and funded and supported by more than 20 scientific and or cultural institutions including the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) the Canadian Council for the Arts (CCA), the French Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, the Australian Research Council and the Australian Council for the Arts.