Tripulator: Human Creativity in the Age of AI
I’m really proud to share my conference talk from AI Rising 2026, right here in Columbus, Ohio!
This has been a really cool project. I started with little more than an ending in mind and wound up building something… unlike anything else at this largely business-focused conference. I’m very pleased with how the talk turned out and it’s been enormously fun to work on.
It all started with a simple thought: “You know what would be cool?” I wanted to capture the feeling of great musical improvisation: musicians finding something new together, groovy visuals vibing to the music, and something a little different every time. So I built a band and lightshow with agents.
The result is Tripulator, a browser-based Rube Goldberg machine for generating music and visuals. Check out the talk video below!
We build a band, give the musicians some common ground, and ask the audience what the visuals should look like. We let the models off the leash, see what happens, and keep what works. There are dancing hamsters, a generative solo recut from my own guitar playing, and eventually more cowbell.
As I played with my crazy machine, I learned new things about what was possible. I made a lot of music that wasn't quite right. And even though lots of my results were cool, I realized that I couldn't get what I was chasing without bringing myself.
This is a talk about play, taste, and the importance of your human creativity in the age of AI.
I've put together a project page with the scenes and lessons from the talk, plus links to the code if you want to try it yourself. I'm planning some follow-up posts about building the instrument, experimenting with the visuals, and making the guitar solo.
Go make something only you could make. And if you do, tell me about it!
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