Google's Latest Art Project Is an AI-Powered Bird Playing the Cello

Google's Art & Culture Lab has unveiled its latest interactive project, Viola the Bird, a virtual bird that plays the cello and performs famous compositions with the help of users.

Viola the Bird is an animated bird character that uses AI algorithms to understand cello and violin compositions. Users can control the bird's performance by moving their mouse along a virtual cello in their web browser. The bird "performs" well-known pieces by composers such as Beethoven, Vivaldi, Holst, and Ravel.

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The artist behind Viola, David Li, collaborated with cellists, violinists, and music arrangers to develop the AI system. By analyzing the movements of musicians and the characteristics of different compositions, they created an audio synthesis engine that generates cello or violin sounds based on the user's mouse movements.

While Viola provides entertainment and an opportunity to experiment with classical music, it may not be considered an educational tool in the traditional sense. The project doesn't provide sheet music or guided instructions, and users can freely interpret and perform songs at their own pace.

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Nonetheless, Viola offers engaging features, including a recording function that enables users to capture their performances and a freestyle mode for improvisation.