Boston, MA

Can AI help people be more creative? Boston musicians want to find out

Published

2 years ago

May 7, 2024

Can AI help people be more creative? Boston musicians want to find out

BOSTON – As artificial intelligence begins to take hold in industries across the nation, researchers at Harvard University are hoping to look into its application through their new program called the Digital Data Design Institute (D3).

During a conference on Tuesday, that event took a musical turn when three-time Grammy Award-winning mixing engineer Derek Ali took the stage to create a song for them in 60 seconds using AI and a few simple questions.

Music mixer Derek Ali creates a song with AI in 60 seconds.

CBS Boston
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Can AI help the creative process?

“Creators are able to be more efficient as they are creating,” said Ali, “It’s a little bit of a push and pull as we are trying to figure out the legalities.”

“We are thinking about its application and to all types workers around the world,” says Karim Lakhani, founder of D^3, “We should not be passive receivers of what this does to us, but be active in both shaping its direction and the rate by which it improves.”

When it comes to music, the growth rate of AI matters – especially if anyone can flood the market with quickly generated music that takes little effort to create.

“The feeling that someone gets from being in the studio, right? The imperfections of human creation – all these things are completely eliminated now,” said Ali, a mixer who has worked with artists like Kendrick Lamar. “If the entry point to knowing how to create a song is as simple as typing a prompt with no creativity, then what does that mean for people who are looking for inspiration through music?”

Harnessing the power of AI

Ali has created a music mixing platform called EngineEars. He is actively working on ways to incorporate AI into the program or his own workflow. It’s about striking a balance between creativity and automation.

“We are looking to harness the power of AI to help creators around the world,” said Ali. “Being able to have something that can monitor sound coming out of your master channels and give you suggestions on what to tweak. When it comes to removing dry air between recordings, that can take hours.”

“Eliminating busy work from the process of the creative can reduce friction,” said Jonathan Wyner, a professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Potential pitfalls of AI

Wyner is hosting an AI symposium at Berklee in June. He is eager to see the creative capabilities of AI but wary of it saturating the music market with too much music or with fakes.

“It creates new possibilities when you can sing into a machine, and, all of a sudden, your voice is transformed into a saxophone. There could there be more Beatles records, more David Bowie records,” said Wyner. “If litigation and legislation doesn’t get ahead of this, it going to be really easy for deep fakes to happen. With mimicry, you lose control of your voice.”

This is where D3 steps in to try to get ahead of the questions and to determine how best to proceed as a society and a workforce.

“We as a culture have to get ready for an understanding of how those changes will be and collectively respond to them,” said Lakhani.

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Boston, MA

+)WAY TO WATCH Ｆｒｅｅ Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals LIVE

Published

5 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals

Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals LIVE GAME: Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals look to seize control of thrilling Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals. Every team in the Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals has two wins apiece as we go into the final two game weeks. Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals will host Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals at Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals Park Stadium with the Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals a single point ahead of Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals in the standings and just one behind leaders Boston Legacy FC vs Utah Royals.

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Boston, MA

Red Sox at Reds preview: Sonny Gray makes his first start for Boston – The Boston Globe

Published

17 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Red Sox at Reds preview: Sonny Gray makes his first start for Boston – The Boston Globe

Gray, acquired in a November trade from the St. Louis Cardinals, was one of Boston’s key rotation additions, along with Ranger Suarez, in the offseason. He was 14-8 with a 4.28 ERA in 2025.

“He’s very specific about his work. Every day has a purpose,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Gray. “Two hundred strikeouts, that’s something that we were looking for. The competitor. Every five days, this guy is going to give you everything.”

In his five career appearances against the Reds, Gray is 1-3 with a 4.18 ERA.

“It’s pretty much one of the only things that is continuing to push me, is to get to a World Series, to win a World Series, to pitch in big games,” said Gray. “I love the moment, and I am chasing that moment.”

Here’s the preview:

RED SOX (1-0): TBA

Pitching: RHP Sonny Gray

REDS (0-1): TBA

Pitching: RHP Brady Singer

Time: 4:10 p.m.

TV, radio: NESN, WEEI-FM 93.7

Red Sox vs. Singer: Wilyer Abreu 2-5, Roman Anthony 1-2, Willson Contreras 2-7, Jarren Duran 3-10, Caleb Durbin 0-1, Isiah Kiner-Falefa 6-16, Marcelo Mayer 0-1, Andruw Monasterio 1-4, Carlos Narváez 1-1, Ceddanne Rafaela 1-5, Trevor Story 0-4, Connor Wong 2-8, Masataka Yoshida 2-7

Reds vs. Gray: Will Benson 0-5, Elly De La Cruz 5-11, TJ Friedl 1-8, Ke’Bryan Hayes 4-17, Nathaniel Lowe 2-10, Noelvi Marte 0-5, Matt McLain 2-2, Spencer Steer 4-9, Tyler Stephenson 0-8, Eugenio Suárez 7-13, Jose Trevino 0-2

Stat of the day: Sal Stewart become the first Cincinnati rookie since 1958 to record three hits on Opening Day.

Notes: Cincinnati sends righthander Brady Singer (14-12, 4.03 in 2025) to the mound … With Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo already on the injured list to start the season, Singer is considered one of Cincinnati’s most durable pitchers, leading the Reds with 32 starts last season … Singer has made five career starts against Boston, posting a 2-2 record with a 4.88 ERA over 24 innings … His last appearance against the Red Sox, on July 1 in Boston, ended after just three innings when he allowed two earned runs on three hits.

Cam Kerry can be reached at cam.kerry@globe.com.

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Boston, MA

Mayor Robert Van Campen talks about priorities in Everett

Published

1 day ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Mayor Robert Van Campen talks about priorities in Everett

Nearly three months since assuming office as mayor of Everett, Massachusetts, Mayor Robert Van Campen isn’t wasting any time.

The former city councilor ousted 18-year incumbent Carlo DeMaria in decisive fashion last November, but even so, issues surrounding his predecessor still linger at City Hall.

A state-led salary audit of DeMaria found $180,000 in overpayment, a finding the former mayor disputes. Van Campen says the city is monitoring ongoing investigations.

“What I’ve conveyed to my partners in government here, locally, is to allow that state process to play itself out, and then we, as a community, will make a decision,” the mayor said. “In addition to that, I recently met with Inspector General Jeff Shapiro, who visited me at City Hall. We had a great conversation about transparency in government, best practices, putting in the right systems to ensure that that type of financial oversight doesn’t happen in the future.”

Beyond the audit, Van Campen is placing emphasis on school overcrowding.

“My objective is to try to implement solutions as quickly as I can,” he said. “Our high school today, which was built for I think 1,650 students, now houses around 2,200.”

The World Cup is creating buzz across Massachusetts, including in Everett, where the Kraft Group is looking to build a soccer stadium.

To alleviate that problem, the mayor is using federal ARPA funds to repair the old Everett High School and seeking out other spaces that could be used in the future.

“Would I like to build out new classroom space for the students of Everett in the next one to two years? Yes, that’s my ideal,” Van Campen said. “But I want to make sure that if we do it on a quick timeline, it’s done in a correct and proper fashion.”

Also in focus for the mayor is a new soccer stadium for the New England Revolution on the shores of the Mystic River.

The Kraft Group, Boston, Everett and the state Legislature have all taken steps to make the project a reality, but Van Campen says there’s still more work to do.

“It’s a transformative project, it’s a breathtaking project,” said Van Campen. “But I’ve been clear with all the stakeholders around that project, and the other larger developments going on down there, that we have to make sure that transit issues are comprehensively addressed, that pedestrian access issues are comprehensively addressed, that all those issues have to be addressed to perfection in order for these projects to succeed.”

Tune in on Sunday, March 29 at 9:30 a.m. for our extended @Issue Sit Down with Van Campen.

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