To my ears, music generated by AI is not convincing – yet.

As a computer musician with a formal background in musical training (violin) and science (engineering and mathematics), I have always been fascinated by exploring and expanding the possibilities of computer assisted composition. With this in mind, I don’t feel threatened by AI in these early stages, if used in an ethically responsible way.

Dr Ivan Zavada. Photo supplied

I believe music exists to convey human emotion and expression through experience, such as live performance and sharing music through other engaged listening experiences. As a computer musician, I emphasise meticulous crafting of sound with the aim of conveying specific human emotion, not only through synthetic sound, but also by integrating acoustic sound material. I combine real instruments in my works to connect with the real world and create a musical signature – a sonic watermark.

Invoking synergy between machine and human imagination with the intention of communicating musical expression and emotion through sound is one of my primary goals. This notion is built upon, and extends many 20th century musical movements of avant-garde and computer music composition, within a contemporary 21st century...