Shared experiences create connections and build bridges across all kinds of divides, and there are plenty of projects in the world of the arts in particular that amply prove this: music and rhythm get people moving and set emotions free. Sharing an experience brings a sympathetic vibration, unleashing creative energy and innovative ideas.
An event at which this was equally apparent was held in Japan recently, at the Music & AI Hackathon 2025, which focused on the question of how Artificial Intelligence can shape the future of music. More than 100 creative minds from all four corners of the Earth gathered in and around the Gyokuzoin Temple at Nara to spend two days developing bold answers and turning their ideas into functional prototypes against the clock.
Fifteen multinational teams addressed one of four challenges, all of which had an artificial intelligence component:
- Music lessons for children – how can new technologies be used to help here?
- Mood-based music – how do physical signals influence the way we listen to – and also produce – music?
- Culture and music – how can visual styles be made transferable to other senses?
- The future of music – how is it looking and how will AI affect it?
“Hibiki”, the winning project, won the judges over with a diary app that analysed writing style, mood and expression to create an individualised piece of music; a blend of emotion, AI and music that left a lasting impression.
Hackathons normally involve finding new product solutions for a company, and prize money can also prove an additional attraction for participants, but at the Music & AI Hackathon in Osaka, it was all about the shared experience. Composing the Future – together.
