Could Artificial Intelligence Help Us Become More Human? Mouse on Mars' Jan St. Werner Says Yes, PopMatters

It may sound counter-intuitive, but Mouse on Mars co-founder Jan St. Werner thinks artificial intelligence can help us expand what it means to be a human being. If the idea of increased enmeshment with technology strikes you as invasive and deeply unsettling on a gut level, you're certainly not alone. Even the band's latest collaborator, science fiction scholar Louis Chude-Sokei, freely admits that he can't forecast how AI will develop as we move forward. On AAI, the new Mouse on Mars album, the veteran electronic outfit (which also includes fellow co-founder Andi Toma and longtime drummer/percussionist Dodo NKishi) embraces that uncertainty with an inquisitive, even playful approach to the concept of artificial intelligence. Working alongside Chude-Sokei and a group of software programmers, the band captured a machine-learning process whereby an AI system becomes increasingly aware and, in a sense, sentient as the album progresses.