The HKBU Symphony Orchestra and an AI virtual choir perform a newly arranged choral-orchestral version of the song Pearl of the Orient, with an accompanying cross-media visual narrative based on the lyrics and music created by an AI media artist.
The innovative performance was the first human-AI collaboration of its kind in the world, and it showcased how AI can be a creative force that can perform music, create cross-media art, and dance.
The performance was powered by the AI technologies developed by HKBU scientists under the “Building Platform Technologies for Symbiotic Creativity in Hong Kong“ research project. The concert, dubbed “A Lovers’ Reunion”, was the Annual Gala Concert of the HKBU Symphony Orchestra, and it was conducted by its music director, Professor Johnny M Poon.
The research project is led by Professor Guo Yike, Vice-President (Research and Development) of HKBU, and supported by HK$52.84 million (US$6.77 million) in funding from the Theme-based Research Scheme under the Research Grants Council. Its deputy project coordinator, Professor Johnny M Poon, is the Associate Vice-President (Interdisciplinary Research) and the Founding Dean of HKBU’s School of Creative Arts.
The project team also comprises computer scientists from HKBU’s Augmented Creativity Lab. The unique mix of scientists and artists in the project team enables them to merge their cross-disciplinary knowledge and come up with sparkling ideas on how to unleash the endless possibilities of art creation with the infusion of cutting-edge technologies.
At the Concert, the project team presented a performance that marked the first time in the world that an AI choir had combined with an AI-generated visual storyteller to perform interactively with a conductor and an orchestra. The HKBU Symphony Orchestra shared the stage with an AI virtual choir to perform a newly arranged version of the song Pearl of the Orient with the voices of 320 virtual performers.
The AI virtual choir was “trained” by HKBU researchers using the generative models of singing that they built by extracting and disentangling key contributing features of vocal singing from a collection of songs recorded by professional singers.
An AI media artist learnt from the lyrics of the Pearl of the Orient, and it created a stunning cross-media visual narrative of the song according to its interpretation of the underlying meaning of the lyrics. Unlike the conventional AI machines that import images as a reference for the algorithms to mimic, it used textual lyrics as the sole input so that it can associate the underlying meaning of the lyrics with an appreciation of the beauty of Hong Kong.
Another highlight of the Concert was a ballet performance featuring AI virtual dancers in Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, accompanied live by the HKBU Symphony Orchestra. With the help of professional dancers from the Hong Kong Dance Company, the AI virtual dancers interpreted the underlying emotional and aesthetic connections between the music and the dance. The dance movements, inspired by a newly discovered species of box jellyfish in Hong Kong, were then choreographed.
Please click here to view highlights of the performance, and click here for more production details of the performance.
The AI-driven performance is one of the many milestone deliverables of the “Building Platform Technologies for Symbiotic Creativity in Hong Kong” research project, and others include an art data repository, a generative AI algorithms system, a research theatre, a digital art and policy network, and some unique and creative application projects, to name but a few.
Another important initiative HKBU is organising is the “Human, Machine, Art, Creativity: International Symposium” in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 9 August.
“AI is revolutionising numerous fields of knowledge, and it is playing a more and more significant role in many creative processes like music, visual arts and architecture. The Symposium will gather world-renowned researchers from academia and industry, crossing different expertise areas, to jointly discuss emerging topics in human-AI symbiotic art creativity,” said Professor Guo.
The Symposium will cover topics including the enabling technologies of symbiotic art creation and manifestation, the aesthetics and cognitive values of symbiotic art creativity, the new trend of the art economy with Web 3.0, new issues raised by the new forms of art in society, and the impact on art community stakeholders, among others.
Interested parties can visit the Symposium’s website for more details.
Hashtag: #HongKongBaptistUniversity #HKBU
Services
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Stakeholder mapping, analysis, engagement and communication needs to be detailed to avoid business losses or even worse, a crisis. How can you do this effectively to prevent failure? ...
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
Data-driven business decisions have never been as crucial, especially in this era. MGBF leverages off, technology, experience and market presence to aid businesses in making accurate decisions. ...
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
MGBF provides comprehensive strategic advice and results-focused solutions to solve clients' problems in business-government relations so they can focus on their core business. ...
BUSINESS & BROADER MARKET ACCESS
A critical business challenge is meeting the right decision-makers and potential buyers through the best channel and platform. How will you improve your business competency? ...
Upcoming Events
SECURITY CONCERNS IN CRITICAL VALUE CHAINS
The threat matrix has evolved to include information warfare, cyberspace incursions, big data and behavioural communications. Business leaders need to be aware of these threats to survive. What are you doing as a key stakeholder?
CHARTING THE FUTURE OF DATA RESILIENCE
Companies can now live or die based on their ability to generate and manage data. Effectively managing existential challenges is the opportunity that business leaders need to grasp for a sustainable future. Calling for speakers!
ADDRESSING WEAPONISED INFORMATION IN THE MEDIA
Corporations and their leadership often face weaponised information attacks in the media. Understanding these advanced business threats is crucial. Recently completed. View proceedings online.
DIGITAL RESILIENCE IN THE CORPORATE SECTOR
Special session: Cyberwarfare Waged on the Corporate Sector - Lessons from the Russia-Ukraine Crisis. Corporations are in a digital arms race that many don't realise. How does this relate to your organisation?
MGBF In The News
KSK Land has been recognised by the Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) for its role in attracting high net-worth individuals to Malaysia post-pandemic. The first challenge in investor attraction is “selling” the country. In the context of Asia, Malaysia is competing with some very established investment destinations. The second […]
Malaysia, in particular Kuala Lumpur, continues to position itself as a regional centre to do business, educate a family and enjoy a global lifestyle. One company, KSK Land, has taken the lead in positioning itself and the city of Kuala Lumpur as a property investment destination for the global citizen […]
The upcoming budget represents an opportunity to build resilience in the critical sectors that will form the backbone of the country’s future-facing economic ambitions. This however needs to be achieved in the context of managing the community sectors most impacted by COVID-19 over the past two years. The Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family) […]
KUALA LUMPUR, 6 July 2022 – As the global economy continues to deal with unprecedented levels of disruption caused by the pandemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the convergence of energy security and food security issues has become a front-of-mind issue faced by policy makers and consumers alike. […]
KUALA LUMPUR, 23 June 2022 — Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) ties up with scoutAsia to ensure that businesses are equipped with deeper regional insights. The past two years has seen a massive shift in the way businesses are conducted with digitisation, digitalisation and automation continuously being adopted to improve […]
KUALA LUMPUR, 25 May 2022 – The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF)’s exclusive roundtable on ‘Security Concerns in Critical Value Chains’ was held in a hybrid setting yesterday at the Eastin Hotel Kuala Lumpur. The guest of honour was Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Rafidah Aziz, former minister of […]
The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF) has released a report following the roundtable on ‘Digital Resilience in the Corporate Sector’, which was recently held in Kuala Lumpur. In attendance as guest of honour was Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia, Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin. The report recommended several critical development […]
Trade and investment delegations will trickle back over the next few months, but the second half of the year should see considerable return of business travellers. It was learnt that over 50 per cent of international business chambers and industry associations surveyed will consider sending exploratory teams to Malaysia during […]
KUALA LUMPUR, 30 March 2022 – The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF)’s exclusive roundtable on ‘Digital Resilience in the Corporate Sector’ was held in a hybrid setting yesterday at the Element by Westin Kuala Lumpur. The discussion focused on what business leaders need to understand, to ensure business resilience and […]
The Malaysia Global Business Forum (MGBF)’s exclusive roundtable on ‘Addressing Weaponised Information in the Media’ was held in a hybrid setting today at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur. The discussion focused on addressing one of the most relevant threats to businesses in the digital economy – cyber threats causing physical and […]
The current floods that have impacted various parts of the country have given rise to an extensive commentary on the response cycles of various stakeholders. It has in turn led to continued crisis communications and statements in the media by agencies and ministries alike. This binary approach to the discussion […]
The formation of a special Cabinet committee to develop strategic measures to safeguard the economy amid the Covid-19 outbreak shows the Malaysian government is serious about creating a balance between the continued safety of the general population and the survival of the economy. In the global context, as many countries […]
Innovation, coupled with a radical departure from contemporary thinking, is required with a possible reality of a prolonged crisis becoming the new reality that people and companies must function through. Malaysia Global Business Forum founding chairman Nordin Abdullah said innovation and resilience from all stakeholders will be required to shape […]
The recent announcement that a committee jointly chaired by senior ministers in charge of security and economy clusters respectively demonstrates that the Malaysian government is serious about creating a balance between continued safety of the general population and the survival of the economy. In the global context, as many countries […]
Innovation, coupled with a radical departure from contemporary thinking, is required with a possible reality of a prolonged crisis becoming the new reality that people and companies must function through. Malaysia Global Business Forum founding chairman Nordin Abdullah said innovation and resilience from all stakeholders will be required to […]
Innovation, coupled with a radical departure from contemporary thinking, is required with a possible reality of a prolonged crisis becoming the new reality that people and companies must function through. Malaysia Global Business Forum founding chairman Nordin Abdullah said innovation and resilience from all stakeholders will be required to […]
