Hewlett the dogs out… Artificial DJ adds to the techno mix

A UK scientist claims to have developed the world's first artificial intelligence disk jockey, capable of playing and mixing dance records.

Hewlett Packard researcher Dr Dave Cliff hopes that the HP DJ will eventually be able to operate in nightclubs alongside its human counterparts.

The artificial DJ, which is essentially a software package loaded into a computer, can select different tracks and beats from its memory bank, mix them and even sample other records, creating its own "set".

It can also be programmed to react to the mood of clubbers by using infrared or motion sensors to gauge how enthusiastic they are about particular tracks.

Cliff, an amateur DJ, said he was also developing technology to allow clubbers to indicate their approval of the HP DJ's choice of music through a remote wristwatch-style device with buttons for good and bad.

An early version of the HP DJ was put up against a real DJ at a London nightclub last year.

Cliff said that when surveyed afterwards, more than a third of clubbers admitted they could not tell the difference.

He hopes the HP DJ can be a regular performer at nightclubs up and down the country within the next five years.

"In principle it could happen by this time next year. We have the technology now," Cliff said.

(MX, November 2001)
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