Music is at the frontier of the development and use of Artificial Intelligence in 2024. This June, AI & Music powered by S+T+ARTS debuts at Sónar, with a transversal programme of performances, talks, forums, workshops, and exhibits exploring the links between AI and musical creativity and performance. All activities take place within Sónar by Day and Sónar+D, and with one exception, are open to the general public at Sónar by Day.

SonarHall features three genre-defying performances, headlined by Sevdaliza’s AI-enhanced, forward-thinking and physical live show on Thursday. On Friday the same stage hosts innovative UK producer Lee Gamble’s concept show ‘Models’, co-produced with Krakow’s Unsound festival. Based on his most recent album for Hyperdub, it rejects the norm for electronic live shows with a performance choreographed by Candela Capitán. Earlie on the same day, Rob Clouth performs an entirely improvised algorithmic audiovisual set. 

On the seven screens of Stage+D, Chilean artist Nicole L’Huillier delivers an AV lecture explaining how she’s connecting AI with her work in playful, innovative ways. Radical performance artist Myriam Bleau will also explore how she’s integrating AI into her practice, with a special talk ahead of her collaborative show ‘Second Self’ with Nien Tzu Weng. 

Both of these activities take place on Thursday, as does visual artist Marta Verde’s masterclass, which explores the randomness of AI-generated work. Beforehand, Sónar+D ticket holders can hear how artists, technologists, and researchers are revolutionising the music-making process in the forum ‘We are the Music Makers’*. On Saturday, experience the results of Peter Kirn and Cibelle Cavalli Bastos’s AI Performance Playground with a special collaborative showcase conceived during a two-day intensive hacklab on Thursday and Friday.

Those looking to get hands-on can head to Project Area, with a special section of the interactive exhibition area dedicated entirely to AI & Music projects, or take part in one of our ‘Tardes de Prompting’. Join Stability AI and level up your music and audio prompting skills, or learn how to get the most out of AI-generated visuals with Krea.ai and Boldtron.

*Sónar+D ticketholders only