Can artificial intelligence be beneficial in music?
With AI technology, anyone can be a musician with the click of a button. If a typical office worker has an idea for a song, they can make it a reality without having to leave their job or even move from their desk. According to the Musicians Institute College of Contemporary Music, "One of the most significant benefits of AI in music production is the ability to quickly generate new ideas and variations" (MI College of Contemporary Music).
The Musicians Institute also brings up that AI can be beneficial in creating unique songs that perfectly match a person's taste and mood. While we are not at this point yet with the technology, developments could see AI reading our emotions or monitoring our heart rate to give us a specialized playlist.
Even if AI can be helpful, like in the examples mentioned, the question arises of whether or not it should be used.
The overall consensus from music listeners is no. After surveying a sample group of young adults from the United States and Canada, the unanimous vote was against AI music. Even after hearing about the possible benefits of using AI, the surveyors still felt the harms outweighed the good. One surveyor gave an example of artists who made unique music due to their life circumstances and experiences, such as Black Sabbath's guitarist, Tony Iommi, who lost some parts of his fingers. Despite his accident, he still created special music for the guitar. The surveyor followed this example by saying, "AI can't replicate the life experience of people like that when it comes to art."
Looking at the opinions of current recording artists, much of the same thoughts are conveyed. After reaching out to Ryan Nolen, frontman of the band FOOTBALLHEAD, he expressed his feelings on AI in music creation by stating, "AI has no place in music." As the surveyor voiced, Ryan spoke on behalf of songwriters to say that music is a recreation of an artist's realities and lived experiences, and "AI has no lived experience."
As AI continues to become more advanced and complex, it is up to the public whether they will accept this technology. Even though the technology may be there, if no one wants it, it soon hopefully fade away. While AI can be beneficial in some ways, the anger towards copyright issues and fears of what it may bring in the future forces people to stray away.
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