Thanks to AI, scientists reconstruct a Pink Floyd tube

In the United States, scientists have reconstructed a classic Pink Floyd, without instruments. Their results were deciphered and published in the journal PLOS Biology on Tuesday August 15. They explain that they used artificial intelligence to decode signals produced by different brain areas when listening. The goal of their experiment was simple: to understand the brain mechanisms involved in listening to music.

Their feat is based on the use of 29 volunteer patients, equipped with electrodes placed on and in the brain. The latter had to listen carefully to the song Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1, taken from the eleventh studio album of the British rock band. The researchers, straight out of the University of Berkeley, were able to analyze the electrical signals and translate them into sound signals, thanks to the use of artificial intelligence.

The experiment confirms to scientists that the right side of the brain is more responsive to music than the left. It also offers a 15 second audio recording. The result obtained is not perfectly identical to the original piece but nevertheless makes it possible to identify certain phrases of the song, in particular the most important: "All in all, it was all just bricks in the wall".

Although the results of this experiment are not impeccable, they mark an unprecedented medical advance. The discovery could significantly advance research for mute people. Because by deciphering the way the brain perceives a song, it becomes possible to decipher all the subtleties of lyrics.