• Written and directed by Anna Schmidt
• Camera: Axel Schneppat/BVK, Matthias Jim Günther, Paul Pflüger
• Producer: Anna Neuhaus
• Editors: Sylvia Griss (BR/ARTE), Grete Liffers (BR)

A production by schmidtFilm on behalf of BR in cooperation with ARTE.

Can an artificial intelligence capture the magic of music? Can it improvise like Michael Wollny or play with virtuosity like Kit Armstrong? The Future of Music embarks on a fascinating journey to the intersection of art, science and philosophy.

Music is more than just notes – it is emotion, intuition and creativity. But what happens when machines simulate these human dimensions? When they play music so well that no one can hear the difference? Is this the future of music – AI that makes us believe it plays with soul?

The film accompanies two exceptional pianists in their search for answers: Wollny, who is developing an AI to improvise with him, and Armstrong, who is researching whether machines can understand and reproduce human musicality. Both are not only exploring the limits of their art, but are also working on making machines more creative themselves.

In revealing experiments, a dialog between man and machine emerges in which the boundaries between intuitive play and algorithmic precision become blurred. The film poses the big questions: What remains when machines imitate human abilities? What makes an artist unique? And what do we learn about ourselves when we make music with artificial partners?

A film that combines science and emotion, shot where music, technology and inventiveness merge – from Taiwan, Paris to Lausanne, in leading European research laboratories. The future of music – it starts now.