Episode 464: In The Seats With.... Sebastian Pardo, Riel Roch Decter and 'The Computer Accent'

When technology gets creative...things get a little strange....The Computer Accent is the first AI rock doc, following the independent pop group YACHT as they use cutting-edge data analysis tools, machine learning, neural networks, sci-fi instruments, and generative composition strategies to create a new kind of human-machine album, melodies, lyrics, artwork, videos, and all. The band initially struggles with complex new concepts as they attempt to forge their own path through the brave new world of machine intelligence. By putting AI to the testing the name of art, YACHT ask probing questions—what does Artificial Intelligence mean for the future of music? Can artists subvert obsolescence, making vital networks even as automation threatens their livelihoods? Can a machine learning model truly be “authentic”? Will convenience destroy creativity? Lo-fi meets high-tech in this entertaining and thought-provoking journey into the wilderness of art and technology. The band sits back as research scientist’s whiteboard their way through explanations of neural networks. They struggle to make themselves legible to the machine by translating their entire back catalogue of music into data. They wade through thousands of pages of machine-generated song lyrics and tear their hair out trying to play strange, AI-generated riffs on guitar. Ultimately, they question their own roles in a future where software anticipates generates, and synthesizes human work.This doc answers a lot of questions but also brings up a lot of new ones as we look at the relationship between art and technology.  We had the opportunity to sit down with directors Sebastian Pardo, Riel Roch Decter to talk about this and so very much more....