Ö1-Interview – Richard Graf talks about AI and Music
In the Ö1 program Digital.Leben on April 30, 2025, at 5:55 p.m., Viennese musician, composer, and university administrator Richard Graf discusses the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on music. Graf, Vice-Rector of the JAM MUSIC LAB Private University, actively experiments with current AI music technologies and purposefully integrates programs such as Suno and Udio into his work.
He is convinced that AI is fundamentally transforming the musical landscape. As early as 2023, he trained the French AI software Somax and integrated it as an independent player in a concert with the MAX BRAND Ensemble, which he directs. The interaction between human musicians and AI was harmonious and impressed both the audience and initial skeptics within the ensemble.
Graf sees artificial intelligence not merely as a technical tool, but as a creative partner that enables new forms of artistic expression. Projects such as the use of Somax demonstrate the potential that lies in the collaboration between human and machine – marking an important step in the evolution of musical practice.
