Surprise flickers across my face when the next “musician” on the set list at the EBR open mic announces that they aren’t actually going to be playing music. Instead they have an AI-generated song they want everyone to listen to. At this declaration my head snaps up; artificial intelligence creating music? At an open mic? Many questions were drumming in my head. I rooted myself to the floor and listened attentively. To my ears it sounded too electronic, too soulless. Music is supposed to make people feel. It’s an art form, and art comes from experience. Artificial intelligence poses a threat to art, taking genuine expression and compressing it into a one-dimensional money-maker.
After that night, I decided to do some digging into artificial intelligence-generated music. I learned that recently the Beatles song “Now and Then” was restored and released, marking the Beatles first release in over 50 years since the band had split. At this point I reached a crossroads: on one hand, AI-generated music doesn’t resonate as music to me. On the other hand, being able to restore, regenerate and shed light on music that has been lost could pose a beneficial aspect in the music world. Weighing these perspectives on my shoulders, I believe there is a very fine line in the AI music world, and the negatives are edging out the positives.
The threat that artificial intelligence poses for the average person actually has a much larger effect that one would expect. AI music tends to fall flat of creativity as it wasn’t fabricated from a person’s perspective, but a technological one. If the music industry shifted to primarily AI generated work then most of the music produced would feel predictable or plain, a seemingly repetitive sound tweaked to form “different” songs. Some labels are also interested in using AI for music campaigns. This could pose a threat for both artists and their music as the data AI receive has a likely possibility of being incorrect, potentially leading to a negative effect on these musicians. While AI does allow for some positives, such as bolstering creativity for musicians and creating a more time efficient production schedule, AI does more harm than good. To water down the music industry when it’s supposed to be an environment of growth and originality does a disservice to both musicians and listeners alike.
Entering Cornell, I was welcomed into a world of face-to-face music performances where you were embraced when expressing emotions and vulnerability on stage; where people thrash around and scream, the artists jumping around in front of the crowd. AI music will never be able to touch people in the same way, and I think that is widely acknowledged. So why has artificial intelligence begun to produce music? I shifted my focus away from popularized music, towards smaller, more nondescript jingles. For example, music used during commercials or even movies are being made by people. Now, with the rise of AI, these sounds can be created for a much cheaper cost and at a faster rate. If this were to happen, it would displace many creators from their jobs, and take away the focus of the art, making it all about the money.
Larger music platforms are also drawn towards AI as it could end up saving them billions of dollars in royalties. In 2023, Spotify paid nine billion dollars in royalties. With artificial intelligence producing music, these platforms would not have to pay out royalties, leading to a huge spending decrease. This is a major incentive for companies to back artificial intelligence in the music sector. With the enticement of turning to AI to save money, it can pose a huge threat to artists and creators who have built their lives on making music. Pushing out authenticity in a market that was created on proclaiming experiences blurs the foundations of music as a whole. While the music industry has grappled with a plethora of corruption, stripping music from its authenticity and displacing musicians takes away the very core of music. Music is not only an art form but a lifestyle. Recently, people seem to care less about genuine art and more about the money in their pocket. It remains imperative to remind people why it is important to value the ingenuity of music and the expression of people.
Eve Riskind is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].