On 17 July, we hosted a thought-provoking evening with guest speakers Pamela Peter-Agbia and Professor Alan Blackwell.
The event was organised by our Development Office and kindly sponsored by former Alumni Association President Judith Roberts and former Committee member Dr Angela Morecroft. The evening featured two distinguished speakers: Pamela Peter-Agbia, Lucy Cavendish alumna and Arts & Culture Program Manager, and Professor Alan Blackwell, Professor of Interdisciplinary Design in the Cambridge Department of Computer Science and Technology.
Professor Blackwell commenced the evening by introducing the theme, highlighting the increasing interplay between artificial intelligence and creative expression. He set the stage for Pamela, who offered insights into her work at the forefront of AI and art collaborations.
Updating the College community on her journey since graduating, Pamela captivated the audience with her groundbreaking projects, from the fascinating world of AI-powered choreography, to a playful and engaging AI experiment that allows anyone to create beautiful opera music using machine learning. Pamela highlighted the potential of AI to democratise artistic creation and make it accessible to all. She briefly touched upon an exciting extension of the opera project, incorporating violin and cello sounds. This demonstrated the ongoing evolution of AI in music and its potential to create new and unexpected sonic experiences.
Drawing upon the examples presented by Pamela, Professor Blackwell connected these examples to the technology of large language models, illustrating the breadth and depth of AI's impact.
The evening was a great success and provided a stimulating and insightful exploration of the dynamic relationship between AI and artistic expression, leaving the audience inspired by the possibilities of this emerging field.
We thank both of our inspiring speakers and look forward to hosting similar events in the future.