Exploring the Possibilities of AI and Human Collaboration in Music | A Blog Post

The Current Discourse on Artists vs. Machines

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and human creativity may seem like a dichotomy, but in reality, these two can complement each other. Musicians, in particular, have shown an interest in exploring how AI and humans can collaborate rather than compete. Last November, at the Stockholm University of the Arts, an AI and a human made music together. The performance began with musician David Dolan playing the piano into a microphone while the computer system, designed and supervised by composer Oded Ben-Tal, “listened” to the piece and added its accompaniment, improvising like a person would. While the artists-vs-machines discourse about AI replacing journalists or stealing from illustrators continues, musicians are exploring ways to use these models to supplement human creativity.

The Historical Speculation on AI and Music

For Ben-Tal, creativity includes various aspects such as inspiration, innovation, craft, technique, and graft. He believes there is no reason why computers cannot help in that situation in a way that is helpful. This view is not new, as speculation that computers might compose music has been around as long as the computer itself. Ada Lovelace, a mathematician and writer, once theorized that Charles Babbage’s steam-powered Analytical Engine could be used for more than simply numbers. She believed that the “science of harmony and of musical composition” could be adapted to compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music of any degree of complexity or extent.

Musicians’ Reactions to ChatGPT and Bing’s AI Chatbot

Artists like Ash Koosha, Arca, and Holly Herndon have already used AI to enrich their music. Holly Herndon’s free-to-use AI-powered vocal clone, Holly+, presented a different side of the narrative around tech and music. She said, “There’s a narrative around a lot of this stuff, that it’s scary dystopian. I’m trying to present another side: This is an opportunity.”

Copyright Considerations and Creative Capabilities of AI

The use of AI in music raises questions about copyright and whether songwriters can defend themselves against plagiarism or if audiences should be told when AI is used. The Google MusicLM model, which turns text into music, has not been released due to the risks associated with music generation and the potential misappropriation of creative content. However, AI still presents attractive creative capabilities. Musicians can use AI to improvise with a pianist outside of their skill set or draw inspiration from an AI’s compositions in a genre they are not familiar with, like Irish folk music.

An Alternative to the Human vs. Machine Narrative

While generative AI can be unsettling because it exhibits a kind of creativity normally ascribed to humans, Ben-Tal sees it as another technology, another instrument, in a lineage that goes back to the bone flute. He believes that generative AI isn’t unlike turntables, which allowed artists to scratch records and sample their sounds, creating whole new genres.

The Wilder (albeit Controversial) Fantasy of AI Realizing an Artist’s Vision

In conclusion, the fear that AI will replace human creativity is unnecessary. AI and humans can collaborate, and their joint efforts could create new genres of music or produce a better version of a composer’s vision. The use of AI in music raises questions about copyright, but it presents attractive creative capabilities in the short and long term. As the artists-vs-machines discourse about AI continues, musicians are quietly exploring how these models might supplement human creativity.