Over 20,000 songs are uploaded to Spotify daily. Artificial intelligence (AI) helps sort the music and delivers recommendations to users based on their previous played songs. AI is impacting the music industry, but it does not only recommend you music. Artists like Ariana Grande have used AI to adjust their autotune in real-time. AI discovers and analysis patterns from large data sets, and helps create efficiencies. By analyzing these large datasets AI is now able to take it a step further, AI can create music.

Ai uses deep learning and reinforcement techniques on past compositions to create original pieces of music. Through ‘deep learning’ an algorithm learns the style, patterns, instruments, and characteristics of a certain artist or genre based on data. Through ‘reinforcement learning’, an AI learns how to compose like a certain artist or genre, by trial and error. Based on these inputs the AI composes a unique musical piece combining what it has learned.

Large tech firms are currently exploring the possibilities of AI and music. Google is investing in the ‘Magenta project’, an open-source platform where you can make music using machine learning. Sony is investing in ‘Flow Machines’, an AI system that created the song “Daddy’s Car”. Daddy’s car is a song in the style of the Beatles, it is composed of AI and performed by a French composer. The song has already accumulated over 2,5M views on YouTube.

Jukebox, an open platform, uses machine learning to generate music. Not only raw audio but basic vocals as well. The results are impressive and show where the future of music could be headed. It covers a variety of genres and artist styles. It could help the artists of the future write and compose their songs. Samples of songs created by Jukebox will be provided down below.

Artists in the music industry will have work together with AI tools that will help them further in the creation of their songs. What do you think about AI entering the music industry? Will it take away from the soul feeling of future songs?

https://jukebox.openai.com/ à Sample explorer of jukebox, here you can find multiple songs created by AI

https://soundcloud.com/openai_audio/rock-in-the-style-of-elvis-4#t=0:17 à rock in the style of Elvis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa6h6wZpE30&feature=emb_title à Ariana Grande adjusts autotune in real time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSHZ_b05W7o à Daddy’s Car: Song composed by AI – in the style of the Beatles

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2019/07/05/the-amazing-ways-artificial-intelligence-is-transforming-the-music-industry/#66a966e85072

https://openai.com/blog/jukebox/

Peer-to-peer lending websites provide a platform where individuals can lend to individuals. On the platform, someone requests a loan and takes the position of the borrower, and other people can evaluate the loan to take the position of the lender. These loans do not have any collateral and are therefore risky.
Kiva.org is one of these platforms that provides this service. It has raised $1.5 billion in loans from 1.9 million lenders to people from 76 countries. Contributing to Sustainable Development Goal 1 & 10: No poverty & Reduced inequalities, by enhancing financial inclusion.
Kiva differs from other P2P platforms which are mainly focused on maximizing investor value. Kiva is an international non-profit that works together with 3rd parties to offer people in 3rd world countries, who normally don’t have stable financial institutions, access to capital. So with lending on Kiva, you have a positive impact on someone’s life and get the possibility to make the world a better place.
The reasons for loan applications on kiva vary. For instance, María from Nicaragua wants to borrow $200 to buy wood for a coffee mill and two pigs to fatten and sell later on. While Mahmoud from Jordan wants to borrow $1000 to pay his university tuition fees for a Bsc in engineering. Millions of people from developing countries depend on these microloans. Thanks to digital platforms, such as kiva, people from developed countries can help lift these people out of poverty.
But be aware, there is a risk involved. Investors on these platforms do not make a profit, because the microloans are interest-free. The risk lays in the default rate, which is about 4% on kiva. Luckily, most 3rd parties do cover currency loss.
Kiva experiences direct network effects. The value for borrowers increases with the number of lenders on the platform, as this increases the likelihood of getting their loan funded. From the perspective of the lender, the more borrowers increase the likelihood of finding someone the lender would like to help.

So my question is: Are you willing to have a positive impact on the world?

https://www.kiva.org/lend/2026455 –> Find Maria’s loan here

https://www.kiva.org/lend/2024134 –> Find Mahmoud’s loan here

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/09/nonprofit-microfinancing-poverty-good-news-loans