Adam Thomas

Research interests

I’m a livecoder, digital artist, and researcher in the ANU School of Cybernetics. My research interests include:

• Livecoding: Writing and modifying code in real-time as a form of artistic performance
• Creative computing: Using computation as a medium for artistic expression
• Human-computer interaction: Designing systems that are engaging and meaningful
• AI & creativity: Exploring the creative potential of AI systems

Come study with me

If you’re interested in doing Honours/Masters/PhD research with me, send me an email. I always have a few project ideas kicking around, but I’m also open to hearing about the project/big idea that excites you. Send me:

1. A one-paragraph description of the project you’re interested in doing
2. A link to something you’ve made: a livecoding video, a project on GitHub, an academic paper—even a blog post

Peer-reviewed publications

2025

Emerging Paradigms in Human–AI Creativity: From Visualisation to Biofeedback in Adaptive Interfaces

Herrington, Jessica C. and Biedermann, Thomas A. J. and Swift, Ben

Human-Computer Creativity: Generative AI in Education, Art, and Healthcare

PANIC!

Swift, Ben

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Semantic Topologies in the Recursive Application of Generative AI Models

Swift, Ben and Hong, Sungyeon

2025 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (SMC)

2022

Having a Ball: A Linked Data Approach to Fancy Dress in Colonial Australia

Gatti, Tommy and Nurmikko-Fuller, Terhi and Pickering, Paul and Swift, Ben

DH '22: Proceedings of the International Conference of the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations

Automatic Gloss Dictionary for Sign Language Learners

Xu, Chenchen and Li, Dongxu and Li, Hongdong and Suominen, Hanna and Swift, Ben

Proceedings of the 60th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics: System Demonstrations

2021

Spatial Anchor Based Indoor Asset Tracking

He, Wennan and Xi, Mingze and Gardner, Henry and Swift, Ben and Adcock, Matt

IEEE VR '21: Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (VR)

High Resolution and Labeling Free Studying the 3D Microstructure of the Pars Tensa-Annulus Unit of Mice

Wu, Jian-Ping and Yang, Xiaojie and Wang, Yilin and Swift, Ben and Adamson, Robert and Zheng, Yongchang and Zhang, Rongli and Zhong, Wen and Chen, Fangyi

2020

Disruption and Creativity in Live Coding

Attanayake, Ushini and Swift, Ben and Gardner, Henry and Sorensen, Andrew

VL/HCC '20: IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing

Camera Adversaria

Browne, Kieran and Swift, Ben and Nurmikko-Fuller, Terhi

CHI '20: Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Eating Computers Considered Harmful

Browne, Kieran and Swift, Ben and Nurmikko-Fuller, Terhi

Alt.CHI '20: Extended Abstracts of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Enacting Collective Ownership Economies within Amazon’s Mechanical Turk

Browne, Kieran and Swift, Ben

Proceedings of "Worker-Centered Design: Expanding HCI Methods for Supporting Labor" Workshop at CHI'20

Semantics and Explanation: Why Counterfactual Explanations Produce Adversarial Examples in Deep Neural Networks

Browne, Kieran and Swift, Ben

Artists and Master-Coders in the Consensual Domain

Curran, Tony and Wang, Weidi and Swift, Ben

Proceedings of "Where Art Meets Technology: Integrating Tangible and Intelligent Tools in Creative Processes" Workshop at CHI'20

TSPNet: Hierarchical Feature Learning via Temporal Semantic Pyramid for Sign Language Translation

Li, Dongxu and Xu, Chenchen and Yu, Xin and Zhang, Kaihao and Swift, Ben and Suominen, Hanna and Li, Hongdong

NeurIPS '20: Poster Proceedings of the Thirty-Fourth Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems

Analysis and Visualisation of Complex Familial Relationships in Greek Mythology

Lu, Yaya Chenyue and Swift, Ben and Hawes, Greta

DH '20: Proceedings of the International Conference of the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations (Peer-Reviewed Poster)

Introduction to Music-Making in Extempore (Workshop)

Swift, Ben

ICLC'20: Proceedings of the 2020 International Conference on Live Coding

2019

Reducing Latency in a Collaborative Augmented Reality Service

He, Wennan and Swift, Ben and Gardner, Henry and Xi, Mingze and Adcock, Matt

VRCAI '19: Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Virtual-Reality Continuum and Its Applications in Industry

Two Perspectives on Rebooting Computer Music Education: Composition and Computer Science

Swift, Ben and Martin, Charles Patrick and Hunter, Alexander

ACMC '19: Proceedings of the 2019 Australasian Computer Music Conference

Analysis and Visualization of Narrative in Shanhaijing Using Linked Data

Wang, Qian and Nurmikko-Fuller, Terhi and Swift, Ben

DH '19: Proceedings of the International Conference of the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations

2018

Critical Challenges for the Visual Representation of Deep Neural Networks

Browne, Kieran and Swift, Ben and Gardner, Henry

Human and Machine Learning: Visible, Explainable, Trustworthy and Transparent

The Other Side: Algorithm As Ritual in Artificial Intelligence

Browne, Kieran and Swift, Ben

Alt.CHI '18: Extended Abstracts of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Thoughts on an ANU Laptop Ensemble: Where Do New Media Creators Fit in the Modern University?

Swift, Ben and Hunter, Alexander

Code2k18: A Media Conference of Platforms, Devices and Screens

2017

"Social Hypergraph Analysis": Towards an Operationalisation of Actor-Network Theory Using Hypergraphs

Graham, Timothy and Ackland, Robert and Rizoiu, Marian-Andrei and Swift, Ben

67th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association

High-resolution study of the 3D collagen fibrillary matrix of Achilles tendons without tissue labelling and dehydrating

Wu, Jian-Ping and Swift, Ben and Becker, Thomas and Squelch, Andrew and Wang, Allan and Zheng, Yong-Chang and Zhao, Xuelin and Xu, Jiake and Xue, Wei and Zheng, Minghao and Lloyd, David and Kirk, Thomas Brett

2016

InfiniCloud 2.0: Distributing High Performance Computing across Continents.

Chrzeszczyk, Jakub and Howard, Andrew and Chrzeszczyk, Andrzej and Swift, Ben and Davis, Peter and Low, Jonathan and Tan, Tin Wee and Ban, Kenneth

Intelligent Agents and Networked Buttons Improve Free-Improvised Ensemble Music-Making on Touch-Screens

Martin, Charles and Gardner, Henry and Swift, Ben and Martin, Michael

CHI '16: Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Live Programming in Scientific Simulation

Swift, Ben and Sorensen, Andrew and Gardner, Henry and Davis, Peter and Decyk, Viktor K.

2015

Music of 18 Performances: Evaluating Apps and Agents with Free Improvisation

Martin, Charles and Gardner, Henry and Swift, Ben and Martin, Michael

ACMC '15: Proceedings of the 2015 Australasian Computer Music Conference

Tracking Ensemble Performance on Touch-Screens with Gesture Classification and Transition Matrices

Martin, Charles and Gardner, Henry and Swift, Ben

NIME '15: Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Texture Analysis of the 3D Collagen Network and Automatic Classification of the Physiology of Articular Cartilage AU - Duan, Xiaojuan

Wu, Jianping and Swift, Ben and Kirk, Thomas Brett

2014

Exploring Percussive Gesture on iPads with Ensemble Metatone

Martin, Charles and Gardner, Henry and Swift, Ben

CHI '14: Proceedings of the 2014 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Metatravels and Metalonsdale: Ipad Apps for Percussive Improvisation

Martin, Charles and Gardner, Henry and Swift, Ben

CHI '14: Extended Abstracts of the 2014 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Visualising a Live Coding Arts Process

Purcell, Arrian and Gardner, Henry and Swift, Ben

OZCHI '14: Proceedings of the 26th Australasian Conference on Computer-Human Interaction

The Many Meanings of Live Coding

Sorensen, Andrew and Swift, Ben and Riddell, Alistair

Coding Livecoding

Swift, Ben and Sorensen, Andrew and Martin, Michael and Gardner, Henry

CHI '14: Proceedings of the 2014 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Networked Livecoding at VL/HCC 2013

Swift, Ben and Gardner, Henry and Sorensen, Andrew

VL/HCC '14: IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing

2013

Chasing a Feeling: Experience in Computer Supported Jamming

Swift, Ben

Music and Human-Computer Interaction

Visual Code Annotations for Cyberphysical Programming

Swift, Ben and Sorensen, Andrew and Gardner, Henry and Hosking, John

LIVE '13: 1st International Workshop on Live Programming at ICSE

2012

Becoming-Sound: Affect and Assemblage in Improvisational Digital Music Making

Swift, Ben

CHI '12: Proceedings of the 2012 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

The Design of a Smartphone-Based Digital Musical Instrument for Jamming

Swift, Ben

2011

A Chasing After the Wind: Experience in Computer-supported Group Musicmaking

Swift, Ben and Gardner, Henry and Riddell, Alistair

Proceedings of "When Words Fail: What Can Music Interaction Tell Us about HCI?" Workshop at British HCI

Impish Grooves

Swift, Ben

2010

Engagement Networks in Social Music-making

Swift, Ben and Gardner, Henry and Riddell, Alistair

OZCHI '10: Proceedings of the 22nd Australasian Conference on Computer-Human Interaction

2009

Distributed Performance in Live Coding

Swift, Ben and Gardner, Henry and Riddell, Alistair

ACMC '09: Proceedings of the 2009 Australasian Computer Music Conference

2007

Mind-Modulated Music in the Mind Attention Interface

Swift, Ben and Sheridan, James and Zhen, Yang and Gardner, Henry

OZCHI '07: Proceedings of the 19th Australasian Conference on Computer-Human Interaction

Curated/invited livecoding performances

See the livecoding page for documentation of my performances.