Philippe Pasquier is a professor at Simon Fraser University and director of the Metacreation Lab for Creative AI. In this episode, he shares insights from two decades at the intersection of artificial intelligence, creative tools, and generative music.

We talk about what creativity means in the context of computer science and how AI systems like MIDI-GPT are designed to collaborate with musicians rather than replace them. Philippe explains how MIDI-GPT works, why prompting with music instead of text might be more useful for composers, and how the system allows for granular musical control.

The conversation also explores the limitations of current AI tools, ethical questions around training on data from deceased artists, and how digital infrastructure might be governed in the future. Philippe speaks openly about the challenges independent labs face compared to tech giants and argues for more public and artist-centered AI development.

In this episode, Ezra Sandzer-Bell shares his journey from classical and math rock musician to software developer, educator, and founder of AudioCipher — a tool that turns words into melodies and chord progressions. Ezra discusses how cryptographic techniques and secret codes have historically appeared in music, from Bach to 90s post-rock, and how these ideas inspired his books.

We explore the philosophical and technical ideas behind AudioCipher, how it reclaims agency in an AI-dominated landscape, and how it fits into the broader question of creativity, automation, and authorship in music today.

Ezra also talks about his role as a writer and marketer in the AI music space, the dangers of generative audio flooding public spaces, and why honesty and critical product reviews are essential right now.

Violetta Zironi talks about inscribing her song No Ordinary Kind directly onto the Bitcoin blockchain, why she did it, what it means to truly own music digitally, and how this intersects with her songwriting. She explains the technical process behind compressing a song to fit a Bitcoin block, and why she sees NFTs as a way to reclaim control over distribution, audience connection, and creative direction.

Violetta Zironi is an Italian singer-songwriter and actress, living in Nashville, who first gained recognition in 2013 as a finalist on X Factor Italy. After several years as a major label artist, touring internationally and releasing studio projects, she transitioned into the Web3 space, where she's become a leading voice in music NFTs. Since 2022, she’s sold over 10,000 NFTs and generated millions in revenue directly from her fans. She also made history by inscribing a one-of-a-kind song onto the Bitcoin blockchain as an Ordinal.