Earlier this month, I had the chance to present my research project Jazzify at the International Conference on Advanced Research in Computing (ICARC 2025) — virtually. Although I wasn’t physically there at Sabaragamuwa University, the experience of attending and presenting online was still a massive milestone for me.
Jazzify is my final year thesis project, exploring how transformer-based models can automate jazz reharmonisation. Presenting it at an IEEE-recognised venue felt like a huge validation — not just of the technical work, but of the vision behind it: making the deep harmonic language of jazz more accessible through AI.
The virtual format didn’t take away from the nerves of presenting. I still had that pre-talk adrenaline rush, triple-checking my slides and mic setup. But once I got going, it was energising to share the work — to explain the challenges I faced (like dataset limitations, training constraints, and subjective evaluation metrics), and to see the genuine interest it sparked during the Q&A.
I left the session feeling encouraged. People asked thoughtful questions, and a few even reached out afterward to discuss related ideas in AI-generated music. For a first conference experience, it was everything I could’ve hoped for.
Even from behind a screen, it felt like a moment of arrival — and a reminder that this is the kind of work I want to keep doing. Music, AI, and the space in between.