The module aim is to give students an overview and understanding of key theoretical, practical and philosophical research and issues around computational creativity, and to give them practical experience in writing and evaluating creative software.
The following is an indicative list of topics that may be covered:
• Introduction to computational creativity
• Examples of computational creativity software e.g. musical systems, artistic systems, linguistic systems, proof generator systems, systems for 2D and 3D design.
• Evaluation of computational creativity systems (both of the quality and the creativity of systems)
• Philosophical issues concerning creativity in computers
• Comparison of computer creativity to human creativity
• Collaborative creativity between humans and computers
• Overview of recent research directions/results in computational creativity
• Practical experience in writing creative software.
Total contact hours: 34
Private study hours: 116
Total study hours: 150 hours
Presentation and Participation in Seminars, 20 hours (30%)
Practical Project Proposal (5 hours) (10%)
Practical Project, Report and Video, 40 hours (60%)
There is no specific textbook for this module. However students will be expected to read material provided in lectures, web-based articles and classes, as well as relevant textbooks. The following list is by way of example only:
Boden, M. (1990/2003). The Creative Mind: Myths and Mechanisms. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415314534
Deliege, I., and Wiggins, G. (eds) (2006). Musical Creativity: Multidisciplinary Research in Theory and Practice. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-1841695082
McCormack, J., and d'Inverno, M. (eds). (2012). Computers and Creativity. Springer. ISBN 978-3-642-31726-2
Veale, I. and Cardoso, A. (Eds) (2019). Computational Creativity: The Philosophy and Engineering of Autonomously Creative Systems. Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-43610-4
Veale, T. (2012). Exploding the Creativity Myth: The Computational Foundations of Linguistic Creativity. Bloomsbury Acad. & Prof.. ISBN 978-1441181725
Veale, T (2014). http://robotcomix.com/ Web comics that transform our understanding of Computers and Creativity,
Selected papers from special journal issues on computational creativity, 2006-present, as listed at http://computationalcreativity.net/home/resources/journals/
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
See the library reading list for this module (Medway)
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
1. State and compare the various definitions of computational and human creativity, to discuss the various philosophical issues relating to computational and human creativity, and to relate these to specific examples of creative software e.g. software which composes music, writes stories, or creates scientific hypotheses.
2. Describe a number of computational creativity systems, both standalone and collaborative, to describe the techniques used in creating them, and describe how they are used in specific examples across a number of creative domains in the arts and sciences.
3. Write software that implements computational creativity techniques, grounded in an understanding of research in the area, applied to a variety of domains in the arts and sciences.
4. Describe, employ and debate methods for evaluation of computational creativity.
5. Identify appropriate contexts for using computational creativity, and design an appropriate system for that context.
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