Player Responses to a Live Algorithm: Conceptualising computational creativity without recourse to human comparisons?

Live algorithms are computational systems made to perform in an improvised manner with human improvising musicians, typically using only live audio or MIDI streams as the medium of interaction. They are designed to establish meaningful musical interaction with their musical partners, without necessarily being conceived of as “virtual musicians”. This paper investigates, with respect to a specific live algorithm designed by the author, how improvising musicians approach and discuss performing with that system. The study supports a working assumption that such systems constitute a distinct type of object from the traditional categories of instrument, composition and performer, which are capable of satisfying some of the expectations of an engaging improvisatory performance experience, despite being unambiguously distinct from a human musician. I investigate how the study participants’ comments and actions support this view. Specifically: 1) participants interacting with the system had a stronger sense of the nature of the interaction than when they were passively observing the interaction; 2) participants couldn’t tell what the “rules” of the interactive behaviour were, and didn’t feel they could predict the behaviour, but reported this as being a positive, engaging aspect of the experience. Their actions implied that the improvisation had purpose and invited engagement; 3) participants strictly avoided discussing the system in terms of virtual musicianship, or of creating original output, and preferred to categorise the system as an instrument or a composition, despite describing the interaction of the system as musically engaging; 4) participants felt the long-term structure was lacking. Such results, it is argued, lend weight to the idea that as CC applications in real creation scenarios grow, the creative contribution of computer systems becomes less grounded in comparison with human standards.