Dream Theater’s Jordan Rudess to perform with AI trained on his playing

Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess will perform with an artificial intelligence system trained on his own playing at two public concerts on Saturday 3 October. Called jam_bot, the system can respond to him as he improvises and generate musical material for other musicians to perform onstage.

The concerts take place at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, known as MIT, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, during its first Future Fest. Rudess will be joined by student musicians for performances combining live improvisation with music generated by the system.

The programme will draw on classical music and progressive rock. Both concerts will follow the same programme, although the improvisation means the performances will differ.

How jam_bot works

jam_bot uses generative AI, a type of artificial intelligence that creates new material from patterns learned during training. It can respond to Rudess’s playing in real time while also producing musical material for other performers.

Its models initially trained on an academic collection of musical transcriptions. They then received additional training using performances Rudess recorded specifically for the project, a process known as fine-tuning that adapts a system using more specialised material.

The project has been developed with MIT Media Lab researchers Lancelot Blanchard, Perry Naseck and Professor Joseph A. Paradiso. Their collaboration with Rudess began in 2023 during his visiting artist residency.

Rudess has described his interest in being able to improvise an idea and have a choir or ensemble respond to his playing. The project’s stated aim is to expand musicians’ creative possibilities through live collaboration.

Can the public attend?

Yes! Both concerts are open to the public, with general admission listed at US$10. They take place on Saturday 3 October 2026 at 201 Amherst Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, with performances running from 5pm to 6pm and from 8pm to 9pm local time.

Readers can check availability and book through the official ticket page.