Explore — Impact of Computing Innovations

Written Response Submission Template

Submission Requirements
2. Written Responses
Submit one PDF document in which you respond directly to each prompt. Clearly
label your responses 2a–2e in order. Your responses must provide evidence of the
extensive knowledge you have developed about your chosen computing innovation
and its impact(s). Write your responses so they would be understandable to someone
who is not familiar with the computing innovation. Include citations, as applicable,
within your written responses. Your response to the first four prompts (2a–2d)
combined must not exceed 700 words.
Computational Artifact
2a. Provide information on your computing innovation and computational artifact.
• Name the computing innovation that is represented by your computational artifact.
• Describe the computing innovation’s intended purpose and function.
• Describe how your computational artifact illustrates, represents or explains the computing
innovation’s intended purpose, its function or its effect.
(Approximately 100 words)
Insert response for 2a in the text box below.

The computing innovation represented is Project Magenta and it is meant to use artificial
intelligence to create its own music (3). Is a neural network created by a computer system loosely
modeled on the human brain that is exposed to many recordings of music (3) and finds rules and
patterns in the music in order to create music of its own different from the recordings (4). It can
be downloaded on the Project Magenta website (2). My artifact represents the innovations
purpose and function with the instructions of how Project Magenta works, an example of what’s
in the code, and example of one of its creations. I included bullets of the benefits of the
innovation to show its effect.

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2b. Describe your development process, explicitly identifying the computing tools and
techniques you used to create your artifact. Your description must be detailed enough so that a
person unfamiliar with those tools and techniques will understand your process.

(Approximately 100 words)

Insert response for 2b in the text box below.
I used Piktochart to create my artifact. I used the features Piktochart allows to create a poster. I
created text boxes to explain what the innovation is, how it works, its benefits, and explain
Project Magenta’s first song. I included icons of a music note and a boom box to represent Project
Magenta's first song that was created and lastly used pictures of the part of the code, the updates
made in the code, and a picture of someone using the program in order to show how Project
Magenta works.

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Computing Innovation
2c. Explain at least one beneficial effect and at least one harmful effect the computing
innovation has had, or has the potential to have, on society, economy, or culture.
(Approximately 250 words)
Insert response for 2c in the text box below.

One beneficial effect that Project Magenta could have on society and culture is that it makes
creating the music that movie or video producers want more feasible (3). It can create music with
the mood they want to convey within seconds compared to a composer who would take days or
longer to create it (3). It also allows music to be made without the years it takes to master the
skill of an instrument since the computer does not have to learn the skill (3). A potential harmful
effect on culture is that it will potentially take away the creativity and uniqueness humans pride
themselves on (3). There is the belief that great music can only come from talented,
extraordinary individuals and a computer creating music proves that is false since it shows
humans are not integral to the music-creating process (3). It could decrease the music profession
since composers and instrumentalists will no longer be needed to create original works. Since a
computer does not have to be paid like those with jobs, it would be more preferable to have a
computer create the music for a project. This is a benefit for the producers who need the music
but a disadvantage to those that make their living off of music.

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2d. Using specific details, describe:
• The data your innovation uses.
• How the innovation consumes (as input), produces (as output), and/or transforms data.
• At least one data storage concern, data privacy concern, or data security concern directly
related to the computing innovation.

(Approximately 250 words)

Insert response for 2d in the text box below.

The data Project Magenta uses is recordings of songs (4) and primed notes (5). With the exposure
of these recordings, the computer realizes what notes should come in a sequence (3) by looking
for patterns in the music files and eventually allows it to generate a whole song (4). A data
storage concern related to the innovation is that the whole computer runs based on recordings
being shared to its system. It relies on the recordings it has learned in order to create new music
(1). Using the recordings it has been fed, the innovation can easily make music but it does not
always create anything that is surprising or compelling (5). In order for the music generated to be
unique, there must be a wide variety of recordings that the computer has learned. Since the
computer system is a form of artificial intelligence, it is reliant on analyzing massive data sets (6)
which with Project Magenta would be the music. The music must be high availability and low
latency for analysis (6) and the large amount of music Project Magenta uses decreases the
availability and cause longer response times which increases latency.

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References
2e. Provide a list of at least three online or print sources used to create your computational
artifact and/or support your responses to the prompts provided in this performance task.
• At least two of the sources must have been created after the end of the previous academic
year.
• For each online source, include the permanent URL. Identify the author, title, source, the
date you retrieved the source, and, if possible, the date the reference was written or posted.
• For each print source, include the author, title of excerpt/article and magazine or book, page
number(s), publisher, and date of publication.
• If you include an interview source, include the name of the person you interviewed, the date
on which the interview occurred, and the person’s position in the field.
• Include citations for the sources you used, and number each source accordingly.
• Each source must be relevant, credible, and easily accessed.

(Note: No word count limit for this answer)

Insert response for 2e in the text box below.

(1) https://the1.com/top-4-music-compositions-created-by-artificial-intelligence/ Buntinx, JP.

"Top 4 Music
Compositions Created by Artificial Intelligence." The 1. N.p., 26 Feb. 2017. Web. 07 Mar.
2017.
(2) https://magenta.tensorflow.org/ "Magenta." Magenta. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2017.
(3)https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2016/06/06/googles-computers-are-
creating-songs-making- music-may-never-be-the-same/?utm_term=.640dcd9129af/
McFarland, Matt. "Google’s Computers Are
Creating Songs. Making Music May Never Be the Same." The 2. WP Company, 06 June 2016.
Web. 07 Mar. 2017.
http://www.3.com/google/1003531/google-s-project-magenta-is-teaching-robots-to-make-
music Moldrich, Curtis.
"Google's Project Magenta Is Teaching Robots to Make Music." 3. N.p., 24 May 2016. Web.
07 Mar. 2017.
(4)http://www.4.com/articles/business/7393342/google-art-project-magenta-song/ Schneider,
Marc. "Google's Art
Project Magenta Creates Its First Machine-Generated Song: Listen." 4. N.p., 2 June 2016.
Web. 07 Mar. 2017.
(5)http://www.5data.com/blog/three-ways-machine-learning-and-ai-depend-on-storage
Vekiarides, Laz. "3 Ways
Machine Learning and AI Depend on Storage." 5 Data. N.p., 13 Oct. 2016. Web. 07 Mar.
2017.

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