Much like artists sharing their talents throughout social media, many worry that A.I. will take over music and change the futures of musicians and the long-curated process used to create it.
There are several ethical issues that arise from this, similarly to art generated by A.I. In the Forbes article Orchestrating the Future-AI In The Music Industry, David Henkin writes, “AI in music also argues that it falls short of effectively capturing the emotional depth and authentic creativity that characterizes truly compelling music.” In the blog , Rolling Stone magazine staff express concern that it will put musicians out of jobs.
Another ethical issue is the human training of artificial intelligence takes humans teaching it to get the desired result. Talia Smith-Muller, a Content Manager at Berklee Online, examined an interview with a data worker, documenting their experience training ChatGPT. “OpenAI has contracted out this work to people in Kenya, paying them $2 an hour to read through these answers. So imagine that you get paid $2 an hour to show up at work and read some of the most horrific, psychologically disturbing text.” Efforts to advance A.I. has negatively affected workers, impacting their mental health in return for the final product.
Copyright is another major problem with the use of A.I. A.I. uses other existing music to make it fit the user’s needs. In Smith-Muller’s article, she states that “it raises the question of whether there can be a compromise where artists are credited, compensated, and consenting to having their work or likeness used for AI.”
To some extent, A.I. has made some positive contributions to music industries and its artists. A.I. can create a base for musicians to start making their music. Elias Leight and Kristin Robinson state in their Billboard article 5 Ways AI Has Already Changed The Music Industry, “sometimes, you just need a nudge in the right direction.” (as quoted in BandLab). Rolling Stone also explained how AI music generators can test out compositions by allowing users to visualize different sounds mixed together. This includes the potential of creating new music genres. “AI is also making it simpler, easier, and more cost-effective to create and produce music as well as to improve and personalize the fan experience,” Henkin, writing for Forbes, concluded.
Most sources seem to focus on the negatives to A.I. over the positives. These concerns allow for exploration of ways around the use in an effective way. A.I. isn’t going away, so listening to these concerns will create a more ethical future of A.I. in the music industry.
