Music Coding Collective - Summer Week 1
Event details
Dr Jennifer Chubb, Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, is going to talk about the 'AI, what's that sound?' project. Jenn's research agenda broadly concerns the impact of science and emerging technologies on society and she is particularly interested in responsible storytelling and AI ethics in the creative industries. In AI, what's that sound? Jenn is looking at the sonic framing of AI in documentaries (e.g. the way composers and artists attempt to portray and represent AI sonically in documentary) and its impact on public perception and understanding of science and technology. The potential of sound for storytelling and its impact on public perception is often ignored in academic research about AI narratives in favour of other aspects of a story’s production such as its contextual, technical or visual framing. Yet the soundtrack and sound design of stories allow the storyteller to speak to the audience and can influence their attitudes and understanding of a narrative object. This is particularly pronounced in the case of storytelling about technology. There is no doubt an increasing number of documentaries about AI attempt to demystify and debunk the technology. But less attention is paid to the sonic framing of documentaries about AI, which provide the backdrop to these attempts to talk authentically about AI. Even less is known about the sonic storytellers themselves. Jenn will talk through some of her ideas and findings from interviews and analysis conducted and is interested in gathering feedback and ideas on AI soundtracking. Further, Jenn is currently gathering public attitudes to AI in music-making and gig-going. You can access the survey here: https://bit.ly/AIMUSICSURVEY