# MIT professor Paris Smaragdis builds machines that learn to understand sound

> Original title: Making machines that can listen

- Source: MIT News · AI
- Published: 2026-10-28T04:00:00.000Z
- Bad Influence: https://badinfluence.news/items/cop1vxzbgflaz2lh7gnundhhh
- Original: https://news.mit.edu/2026/making-machines-that-can-listen-paris-smaragdis-1028

## Summary

MIT Professor Paris Smaragdis is developing machine-learning systems that let computers listen and understand sound, aiming to exceed human hearing. His group works on sound source separation, smart devices that augment human audio surroundings, and tools for understanding, manipulating, and creating music. Smaragdis joined MIT in 2025 after positions at Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs, Adobe, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.