Composer uses artificial intelligence to create a new musical experience

With the help of a virtual instrument, composer Alexandros Markeas is developing an encounter with artificial intelligence, which plays notes in response to his own.

We tend to talk about artificial intelligence as if it were a thing of the future, but AI is already all around us — as the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated.

A "super computer" to operate on at risk patients more safely - at the Hautepierre University Hospital in Strasbourg, artificial intelligence (AI) now assists health workers during operations to better prevent and manage the risks associated with low blood pressure.

Germany's reputation as an industrial powerhouse could be on the line if the country fails to integrate artificial intelligence technology. Succeeding will require addressing several smaller issues first.

Researchers in California unveiled a bipedal robot on Wednesday (October 6) that combines walking with flying to create a new type of locomotion, allowing it to jump, skateboard and walk on a slackline. The robot, named LEONARDO or LEO for short, was developed by a team at the California Institute of Technology's Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies. Researchers said LEO is the first robot to use multi-joint legs and propeller-based thrusters to enable it to balance and carry out complex movements.

This week's Tech 24 is a special edition from the south of France, where the World AI Cannes Festival is taking place. Almost every sector is abuzz with talk of AI, and investment in the technology is through the roof. But will it change the world completely? Or will it simply keep providing useful tools for specific circumstances? Peter O'Brien went to the festival to find out.

Operatic Soprano Chen Reiss began singing at the age of 14 in her native Israel. She has since toured the world and taken part in many recordings of classics and soundtracks. Her new album explores the work of romantic composer Fanny Hensel, whose music was often attributed to her brother Felix Mendelssohn. She stopped by the FRANCE 24 studio to tell Marjorie Hache more.

The apocalyptic idea of computer-run robots turning against the human race and taking over the planet is not something we should dismiss, but for now we should be celebrating and embracing the positive side of artificial intelligence (AI). That's the view of Professor Anthony Elliott, the author of a new book entitled "Making Sense of AI". He says AI currently does a lot of good, helping us for example in the fields of industrial robots and self-driving cars, as well as providing vital information for fighting pandemics such as Covid-19. However, he admits that with AI, "to some extent, we lose control over decision-making".

Best-known for his musical scores for David Lynch films including "Blue Velvet" and the series "Twin Peaks," the Grammy-award winning composer died in his New Jersey home on Sunday.

Researchers have managed to pull strands of DNA from Beethoven's hair, finding "a strong genetic disposition to liver disease." At the same time, the discovery did not reveal the cause of his debilitating hearing loss.

Viral photos appear to show a beached shark in the United States being rescued by local residents. But that is what the social media posts want people to think. The photos are actually fake, generated by artificial intelligence software, and their creator seemingly wants to take advantage of the confusion. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

"A challenge that European democracies are totally unprepared for." That was the reaction of one MEP to images that recently went viral on social media. The pictures, generated by artificial intelligence, purported to show French President Emmanuel Macron collecting rubbish, and former US president Donald Trump being arrested.