NetEase invests $1.68 million into a Luxembourg A.I music firm

An A.I technology firm in Luxembourg called AIVA has caught the attention (and a whopping investment) of Chinese digital tech company NetEase, also known for their digital platform NetEase Cloud Music.

AIVA first launched in Luxembourg by composer Denis Shtefan, computer scientist and composer Pierre Barreau along with engineer Vincent Barreau in 2016. Their A.I technology has proven to compose emotional soundtracks for films, video games, commercials and entertainment content in parallel to human intelligence capabilities.

With their extensive knowledge, all three founders were able to use their expertise to create A.I technology that learned the art of music composition derived from a mathematical model representation of music. Taking examples from music maestros Mozart, Beethoven and Bach, AIVA technology has been able to replicate and also develop its own range of musicality and intelligence from the minds of famed composers.

AIVA has also been recognised as the first tech visual artist to create compositions registered with an author’s rights society (SACEM), which is rather impressive and unnerving at the same time as it reminds us that robots are indeed taking over.

One of the founders expresses that, “this achievement does not mean that AIVA will replace musicians; we will continue to encourage collaborations between man and machine,” as they believe in the empowerment of the next generation of composers and content creators through their medium of advanced technology.

It’s no surprise that Chinese tech giant NetEase has also hopped onto the opportunity to collaborate and invest in AIVA. What initially started as a presentation of new products, resulted in a $1.68 million investment late December 2019.

NetEase recently also announced its second IPO trading of public shares on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (SEHK) earlier in June.

As NetEase’ CEO William Ding continues to drive more high-quality Chinese products and digital services internationally, he describes the company strategy as, “driving innovation and breakthroughs through incubation, investment, collaboration, and strategic partnerships.”

Image via Fact Mag