Week of Sound 2026 | Authenticity & AI Workshop

About the workshop

A workshop for musicians and music researchers exploring new questions around origins and originality in the era of ubiquitous Machine-made music.

"The rise of AI in music is forcing us to confront the very nature of authenticity. What makes your music ‘yours’ when a machine can generate sounds that are, on the face of it, indistinguishable from a human creator?

Recent developments in the area of Artificial Intelligence and music have brought a new focus on copyrights, process, technique and sonic identity. Alongside the rich possibilities for creative musical practices are new questions for creators and audiences. What do creators now need to share of their processes to explain the origins of their ideas and sounds? What do they feel is important for audiences to know about the provenance of their work? What do audiences want to know? How much should broadcasters disclose? What do composers/singer songwriters need to know about the origins of the materials they might be using in their work? How much is too much information?

Do you feel AI places your creative identity at risk? Do you feel the authenticity of your work or process challenged? Will you divulge aspects of your practice which, before the advent of AI, you kept hidden? Do you feel equipped to defend yourself against the threats you perceive? Or are these threats at all?

Attending the workshop

If you are a composer, performer, producer, promoter, record label, youth worker, community musician, music student, researcher, audio software developer, established creator or just starting out in the field, we want to meet you in Edinburgh between 2 and 4pm on 20 February to talk about these issues and other challenges and opportunities in front of your creative practices and cultural contributions.

Please note that space is limited, and participation will be allocated based on the order of registration and the information provided in the sign-up form, to ensure that the event brings together attendees with a strong connection to the themes under discussion. When signing up to the eventbrite, you will receive the form.

Refreshments will be provided and we can offer £10 in vouchers to help offset travel costs.

The workshop is part of the “Embracing the Complexities of Authenticity” project, supported by the Bridging Responsible AI Divides Programme, with funds received from the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council.

The workshop is hosted by the Edinburgh chapter of the UNESCO Week of Sound. You will be asked to sign a participant consent form at the start of the workshop.

Panel Discussion

Following the workshop, there will be a panel discussion with positions offered from leading practitioners in the field of AI and music, running 4:30-5:30pm. Everyone is welcome and you can sign up here.

Access

Please let us know if you require any support accessing this event by emailing [email protected].

Please see ECA's privacy notice for more information on how your personal details provided will be used and stored.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

West Court, Edinburgh College of Art, 74 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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