Machines, Minds & Music: Navigating Generative AI for Creative Applications
Distinguished Lecturer Seminar with Maya Ackerman
Abstract
What is generative AI? How does machine creativity relate to human creativity? Maya will delve into the essence of generative AI, drawing on comparisons to human intelligence and creativity. Next, she’ll zoom in one musical AI, and utilize generative music systems to create a song. A vision of the future of creativity will be presented, along with a discussion of potential risks brought on by these powerful creative machines.
Biography
Dr. Maya Ackerman is a generative AI pioneer who serves as CEO/co-founder of generative AI startup, WaveAI, and Associate Professor of Computer Science & Engineering at Santa Clara University. Ackerman was an early advocate for human-centered generative AI, bringing awareness to the power of AI to profoundly elevate human creativity. As co-founder and CEO, Ackerman led WaveAI to the forefront of musical AI, serving millions of artists and creators with their products LyricStudio and MelodyStudio. Named “Woman of Influence” by the Silicon Valley Business Journal, interviews with Dr. Ackerman appear on NBC News, Music Business Worldwide, New Scientist, NPR, Grammy.com, SiriusXM and international television stations across the globe. A sought-after speaker, she appeared on many top stages, including the United Nations, IBM Research, Microsoft and Stanford University. Dr. Ackerman is the recipient of awards from the Association of Computational Creativity, Office of Naval Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and more. She earned her PhD from the University of Waterloo, held postdoctoral fellowships at Caltech and UC San Diego.
