Can Robots Write a Beatles Song? Almost.

September 28, 2016 Alan Cross 0 Comments

Computers and robots will never replace flesh-and-blood artists, right? Well, not so fast. Leaps in artificial intelligence have now made it possible for a computer program to ape the Beatles. Almost.

Sony’s CSL research lab went to work with its machines to create an AI-written song in the style of the Beatles. By analyzing the content, structure, tonality, timbre and other factors, their musical T-1000 came up with this.

Not bad, really. But before you get too freaked out, understand that a human composer named Benoit Carre took all the melodies and harmonies generated by the algorithm, wrote the lyrics and then created the final mix. Still…

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 38005 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross