A new era in music has begun, and the beat is coming from the strange and wonderful world of quantum physics.
UK tech startup Moth released the track “Recurse”in collaboration with British artist ILA. It’s billed by the company as the first commercially-available song created with “quantum powered generative AI.”
The track “Recurse,” sounds like music that aliens would listen to while drifting in deep space. This is another example of ILA. StyleListen to this:
You can listen to the track yourself on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify. It’s available 24/7 via a Interactive stream that is generated and evolves in real time.
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ILA supplied original sounds to train an AI tool that worked within Moth’s software. ILA was in control of instrumentation, effects and arrangement, while the AI suggested parts such as bass, drums and synth. The music was refined using quantum computers provided by German startup IQM. Blending quantum with AI
The song was created using the emerging field of Quantum Machine Learning, which uses the unique qualities of quantum computers to assist AI in learning patterns and solving problems faster than traditional computer.
This track was created using Moth’s Archaeo platform, which is based on Quantum Reservoir Computing. The system was able identify subtle, complex patterns within ILA’s music which conventional AI may have missed. Archaeo is not a generative AI tool like Suno or Udio. It doesn’t create music from scratch. It is also not trained on huge quantities of music scraped off the internet (often orwith no consent). It learns by listening to small samples of a specific artist’s music, which it then uses to create a new song.
ILA said, “It’s refreshing to use technology that is designed to work with you and not replace you.” This approach produces something that feels more authentic and human-led in terms of creativity.
Moth’s technology was developed with Brazilian composer Eduardo Reck Miranda. Miranda, a researcher on computational creativity who is well-known for his book on quantum music, has written a entire book about it. He released aalbum titled Qubism last year, which was made up of quantum-computer-made songs. He also serves as a member of the board at Moth.
Although Moth’s tech is still in its early stages of development, the company hopes that it will redefine creative industries such as music, art and gaming. Gamers can use tools such as Archaeo, which generates custom content – music, art or dialogue – based on the creative inputs they provide. This allows for more personalisation and modding. Wisby said, “We are not just building technology for the sake of it, we are building tools that empower and inspire, and drive, a new age of media and creativity.”
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