Research
2026Between Real and Made
A CMD graduation research project on how generative AI changes how people experience, value and discuss music, built as a four-part participant experience.
- Role
- Research design, AI-generated film, Interaction/tool design, UX research & testing, Web design & development
- Tools
- Nano Banana 2, Kling 3.0, Next.js
- Site
- Visit ↗
Context
A CMD graduation research project asking how the rise of generative AI affects the recognition, appreciation and structural position of music and audiovisual makers, and what that means for how we experience image and sound as "human". Rather than a written thesis alone, the research takes the form of an immersive four-part participant experience: watch a 2:40 AI-generated short film (deliberately shown without any signal of its artificial origin), answer four questions about it in an interactive discussion tool, receive one of five distinct listener profiles, then discuss the film and the tool with others using that profile as a starting point.
Approach
The film (2:40, 1080p, generated with Nano Banana 2 and Kling 3.0) is the first act: it builds emotional engagement before the question of authenticity is ever raised. Only after the session does the AI origin get revealed, which required careful debriefing. The tool and the five listener profiles (De Scepticus, De Twijfelaar, De Pragmaticus, De Optimist, De Cynicus) turn that reveal into a structured conversation rather than a single verdict. The site itself, including the interactive tool and profile cards, is designed and built to carry that experience end to end. The full 147-page research, design and development process is documented separately.
Outcome
Tested with 12 participants in an informal setting: 5 distinct profiles emerged, and the film itself took 40+ iterated prompts to generate. What stood out in these sessions: context shapes perception more than the content itself; emotional response tended to come before rational judgement; the profile cards were named most often by participants; the moment of reveal significantly affects the story people tell afterward; and the jazz-bar scene drew the strongest reactions and the longest conversations. Follow-up work identified: a longitudinal session weeks later to see whether a participant's position holds or shifts, testing with a broader demographic beyond 18–30-year-olds interested in design and music, and letting participants self-identify with a profile in a future version.
