Humans: 1, Robots: 0

Is there anything a robot cannot do? They beat us at “Jeopardy!”, write newspaper stories and defuse bombs.

They are perfect humans. Or, perhaps not.

A Harvard University researcher recently discovered that when it comes to music, robots play second fiddle to humans.

According to a Mic.com story, research indicates that human error makes music interesting. Harvard physicist Holger Hennig specializes in the union of math and music composition and recently examined a duet performance in a recording studio.

“He discovered that the duos reacted and compensated for rhythmic deviations in the other’s performance; when one played slightly faster, their partner would keep up, and vice versa,” Music. Mic reported. “The two players thus struggle to remain in sync with each other, making every performance unique.”

What makes computer-generated music less compelling is its consistency, it’s perfection. Those in the music industry have known this fact for a while and the latest software randomly inserts beat deviations to sound more authentic. Hennig’s research will better assist software developers in creating musical deviations as he learned that errors are anything but random.

Hennig, however, believes nothing can compare to a human’s musical performance.

“It actually shows part of the beauty and richness that is in humans, which is based on their imperfections,” Hennig told Science magazine.

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