The 11th edition of Sónar+D, the international meeting of digital culture and creative technologies hosted by Sónar will take place in Barcelona on the 15th, 16th and 17th June. This year, it tackles the cultural, ethical, economic and industrial implications of the new tools and creative processes linked to AI

Sónar+D 2023 will let the audience see, hear, touch, and discuss how AI is being used in both musical and audiovisual production. It will look at how to tackle the potential threats of an increasingly widespread use of AI and how to protect intellectual property in this new reality.

The programme features experts, organisations, and companies from 30 countries, with a mix of representatives from international and local artistic, scientific and technological communities.

The 130+ activities at Sónar+D 2023 will be presented in a variety of formats. There’ll be a new exhibition area, Project Area, with more than 80 groundbreaking and innovative projects and a festival of cinema created using AI organised in collaboration with the UPF. There will also be two debate forums and two experts symposiums featuring over a hundred experts between them, addressing topics such as innovation in music; the intersection between art, science and technology; and AI and its role under the new Web3 paradigm.

In addition, the Sónar+D 2023 will include a dozen masterclasses and multiple professional and networking activities. They complete an ambitious and transversal programme that caters to both professionals and to curious members of the general public at Sónar.

The programme also includes a second major thematic axis, with activities that focus on how the artistic community is responding, raising awareness and disseminating information about the climate emergency. Via spectacular multi-screen performances and technologically advanced shows, the audience will be invited to think in new ways about our relationship with the planet.

Sónar+D also provides a venue for new musical and technological narratives, which reach across genres and formats. As part of this year’s SonarExtra programme, there’s the return of SonarMies at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion. ‘Reprocessing… Piano+AI’ will see various artists from Sónar 2023 interact with AI via way of the piano. There’s also Digital Impact, the first exhibition made of entirely digital art to be held in Barcelona, which is open to visit during the festival at Disseny Hub Barcelona.