Update Report on Apple Watch by Barcroft and Musical Artificial Intelligence by Handelman and Sigler.

Listen Now to Dr. Future Show 3.10.2015

By now most of us have heard of the Apple Watch, but not from the perspective of our very own MacHeads the Movie star, Taylor Barcroft.  Very excited about the new wrist computer from Apple, Taylor gives us a more detailed look at the device, as well as the other announcements made during Apple’s presentation event this week.

We also catch up with Drs. Eliot Handelman and Andie Sigler and their work on creating a musical AI. With AI in the news of late as potentially dangerous, We ask them to step back a bit contexualize AI in relation to popular culture stories, like the HAL 9000 from 2001, HER, and most recently the South African flick, Chappie, about a police robot that becomes self-aware and trained by criminals.  Eliot and Andie communicate an openness about it all that is very inspired. We also take some great phone calls from the KSCO audience and end up feeling optimistic about the future of our robot overlords.

Most of our Dr. Future Show crew today - L-R Mrs. Future (Sun Lundell), John Monahan, Dr. Future (Al Lundell), Dr. Eliot Handelman, Soon to be Dr. Andie Sigler, Bruce Erickson

LED Superbowl, UK Designer Babies, Gates on AI, 3rd Arm for Cyberspacers, Robot Writers are here

Listen Now to Future News  02.03.2015

Boy, robot and AI stories seemed to dominate the news this week, with a statement from Bill Gates on his thinking about Artificial Intelligence, Uber and Google getting into the robo-car taxi business, and humans controlling a 3rd arm in cyberspaced bodies, not to mention caller thoughts on the AI robotic evolution. Lots to think about, which we do, of course, with our listener’s chiming in with scintillating input, such as the smartest AI’s today are about on the same intelligence level as a retarded cockroach.  The AP writer robot is now actually writing over 3,000 financial stories a quarter. Hmmm..imagine what jobs they would take over if they were just a bit smarter, like grasshopper or bumblebee. Maybe a new economic model?  In any event, please join us to exploring these things!

Future News and Discussion of Music and AI with Dr. Eliot Handelman and Andie Sigler

Listen Now to Dr. Future Show 7.15.14

For this show we have broken with tradition and combined our news segment with the interview, by inviting the guests to be part of the news commentary.  Both Andie Sigler and Eliot Handelman are experienced with radio and we thought we’d take advanatage of that and their intelligence to create an interesting and dynamic show. 

We explore news items like an on/off switch for consciousness, a smart cam for fingers, and new radio bursts from beyond our galaxy. As far as the MIT vs McGill shananigans Eliot mentions…well…you decide..

For the second half, we focus on Eliot and Andie’s ongoing work with music and computers, especially the intersection of music and AI. A verfy dynamic conversation we where explore what is possible and what is pragmatically possible.  

The show was recorded live at a sunny loft in Montreal, Quebec, with visiting Casey James Basichis, a music composer for the Cartoon Network, brainstorming with Eliot and Andie on an AI music composer software project.

What's Next with Artificial Intelligence? What is a musical AI? Is the Singularity really near, or what?

Listen Now to Eliot and Andie 

 To help us with these questions, our guests are Dr. Eliot Handelman and computer scientist Andie Sigler, who are endeavoring to create a breakthrough AI that can compose brilliant music, called “Jack and Jill.” We plan on starting by looking at the brief history of AI, including the Frankenstein story, the HAL 9000 computer from 2001 A Space Odysessy, the movie “AI,” and moving on to how we are making everything smarter, like houses, cars, even cities..

Andie and Eliot on vacation in Santa Cruz, CA  October 2012

Guests- Dr. Eliot Handelman and Andie Sigler on the Intersection of Music and Artificial Intelligence

Listen Now to Eliot and Andie on Music and AI

You’ve heard of computers that can play chess, but how about creating music, original music so good that it seems to have been created by a master?  This is one of the holy grails in creating a true musical AI as envisioned by the dynamic partnership and quest of Eliot and Andie.  

© 2012 Jim Needham

They are exploring questions like, “Can an AI operate beyond the regurgitation and remembrance of musical patterns humans have already explored and discovered?” 

Trained at Princeton, Dr. Handelman sees AI as the ultimate art, because it can create an consciousness beyond any particular reference point.  A real freedom us biologicals, trapped in specific bodies and belief systems, can only dream of.. You can check out some of  their AI generated music here. 

“Art is the way we negotiate a boundary between ourselves and somebody else..

One day an AI can be an externalized social self…”

Come take a journey with us into the minds of musical AI scientists, as they dream up  new ways of thinking about intelligence that could impact us all..