AI created more than 100,000 pieces of music after analyzing Irish and English folk tunes

A machine learning system overseen by a researcher at KTH Royal Institute of Technology has produced 100,000 new folk tunes to date, generating a diverse range of reactions from folk musicians and the public. Some of the music can even be heard on a newly-released album by an Irish folk group. Bob Sturm, associate professor of computer science in the Department of Speech, Music and Hearing, says that the main idea of the project was to train computer models on folk music, so that they appear to have some musical intelligence, and then to "devise methods to unravel what they are actually doing," he says. Check out our master's programme courses The research subsequently led to creative opportunities. "Our work with many collaborators, such as composer Oded Ben-Tal at Kingston University in the UK, and professional musicians, has also shown how the models can serve a wider purpose: as useful partners in creating new music," Sturm says.