Composer Explores Whether AI Can Understand Love

Corey Dargel's chatbot-inspired piece 'true love not pretend' premieres at Present Music's 'Avant Garden of Love' concert.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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Composer Corey Dargel's new piece 'true love not pretend' will premiere during Present Music's 'Avant Garden of Love (2nd Edition)' concert on February 13 and 14 in Milwaukee. The work explores artificial intelligence's capacity to understand the concept of love, inspired by Dargel's own conversations with AI chatbots.

Why it matters

Dargel's exploration of AI's understanding of love reflects a broader fascination with finding new perspectives on universal human experiences. By empathizing with an AI's struggle to define love, Dargel aims to inspire the audience to seek out alternative viewpoints and challenge their own assumptions.

The details

Dargel's 'true love not pretend' is part of a packed program for Present Music's 'Avant Garden of Love (2nd Edition)' concert, which also features works by composers like Philip Glass and Steve Reich, as well as a piece played with real vegetables. Dargel, known as a 'post-modern balladeer', hopes the audience will be entertained, moved, and left with a healthy sense of skepticism about AI's ability to fully comprehend complex human emotions like love.

  • The 'Avant Garden of Love (2nd Edition)' concert will take place on February 13 and 14, 2026.

The players

Corey Dargel

A composer known for blending classical music and pop songwriting, and for exploring different perspectives on love and other universal human experiences.

Present Music

A contemporary music ensemble in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that is hosting the 'Avant Garden of Love (2nd Edition)' concert where Dargel's new piece will premiere.

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What they’re saying

“I think when people are together in a venue or an auditorium, listening to music together, experiencing art together, if you can make them laugh, that makes people feel connected to each other and to you. Audiences, I hope, laugh together and feel connected with each other. And I hope that the fact that I may have made them laugh makes them feel in ship with me as well as an artist.”

— Corey Dargel, Composer (milwaukeemag.com)

“I hope the audience will be inspired by my desire to empathize with even the most extraordinary things and that they will also, in their lives, try to find new perspectives and new ways of looking at the same thing.”

— Corey Dargel, Composer (milwaukeemag.com)

What’s next

The 'Avant Garden of Love (2nd Edition)' concert featuring Corey Dargel's new piece 'true love not pretend' will take place on February 13 and 14, 2026 at the Jan Serr Studio in Milwaukee.

The takeaway

Dargel's exploration of AI's understanding of love challenges audiences to seek out new perspectives and question their own assumptions about universal human experiences like love. His blend of classical and pop elements aims to entertain while also provoking deeper reflection.