Touching Wires: Exploring Tactility in Human-AI Musical Co-Creation

Abstract

Tactile interaction is a cornerstone of how humans build relationships in the world, including those we create with computers and machines. This thesis details the development of a textile-based musical performance system integrated with machine intelligence to form sonic dialogues between human and machine. We use this system to explore tangible and embodied interactions within human-AI interaction. This work introduces a quilted interface that allows users to control a digital synthesis instrument based on the Bela audio platform. Configured as an interactive call-and- response interaction with machine-generated output, we investigate the role of soft tex- tile interfaces in navigating relationships between human users and computer systems. This has been explored through autoethnographic data collated from the researcher’s perspective in performing with the system, as well as user study data from participants interacting in a controlled environment. The development process of the system has been documented within this thesis, and results have been collected and analysed to evaluate the role of tactility in human-AI interaction. We find familiarity and communication as key themes in human-AI interaction. Tactility, sight, and audio all form integral access points to forming embodied understandings of novel systems. Textiles are an underexplored and novel way of inviting users in to explore interactive experiences and media.