Yej

A computer agent will be developed that produces a live coding performance indistinguishable from that of a human live coder

This idea made me further question – how should a creative software agent look like in the context of live coding? Considering the physical nature of conventional live coding performances, where you see a person in front of their computer tapping onto their keyboards, does the computer agent need to embody a human form? Not only software-wise, but also that of hardware? Is it only under this condition that they are truly indistinguishable from a human coder? Or does the physical component not matter as much?

The spontaneity, which is an integral part of what makes live coding interesting, is also up to question. Can a machine truly be spontaneous and improvise if they are not yet susceptible to biological conditions and emotions – two major sources of human spontaneity? What other inner impulses could non-feeling computer agents use to show spontaneous behaviors similar those of humans?

“Live coding has far less perfection and the product is more immediate. It allows for improvisation and spontaneity and discourages over-thinking”.

How does a machine discourage itself from over-thinking? Perhaps, they can systematically control, or simply dial down, the amount of “thoughts” they have? Does such simplification of the process threaten the quality or even the validity of spontaneity expressed by the agent?